Frozen: Restoration of the Summoners
by King Yat Yau
Summary: This fan-fic will explain who exactly Elsa is and why is she so special. She and her family are being hunted by the Hooded Grey Figure and an army of darkness. Eventually, she realises that she is not alone. And this soon will come to unravel the danger that threatens to envelope the world in darkness. Also, Pitch Black makes a cameo appearance with a plot twist.
1. Prologue

King Yat Yau

**Fire and Ice**

King Adgar looked out of the ship and smiled. Night was sure to come. They had been out for ten days at sea towards a land only he and his queen remembered so far, far away. So far, things were at peace. They were sailing north, and there were only two storms that cost 3 lives out of the 50 guards he took with him. It was a private voyage that only his family knew about. He had told the kingdom that he was off to visit some relatives. He never said where he was actually going: to find someone or something from his past.

"Your Majesty, I do suggest you go into your quarters and rest. Nothing unusual's going to happen out here." Lucan the navigator called as he slid down the crow's nest. Adgar grinned. Lucan was one of his closest friends since birth, and they both shared a passion of the seas. Lucan, however, was far more skilled than Adgar was, which was why he was in charge of the king's own vessel. "How much longer until we reach land?" Adgar asked.

Lucan shrugged. "Don't know, might take three more days until we see even the smallest chunk of rock. Or maybe even a dead whale!" He laughed, then his voice turned serious. "You still haven't told me why we're out in this begotten blue."

"We're here to look for the ruins of a thousand year-old city called Thorin. My ancestors had ties with that nation before it fell. I wish to try and look for survivors." Adgar replied. The truth was, although the kingdom was a thousand years old, it fell only twenty years ago from invaders. Lucan was confused. "That's not possible, sir. It's been a thousand years. No one can live in rubbles of rock." The king simply lied, "Who knows, Lucan. There are always survivors after the fall of kingdoms."

"If you say so, sir. You're the boss." Lucan patted the king on the back. "Go try and get some sleep." Adgar nodded, and bid farewell to his crew on deck. He then walked to the very end of the boat, and lay down for a long night's rest. His wife, Idun, was already asleep. Typical, he chuckled. Idun always was an early sleeper. She never slept late, unless it was urgent business. Nevertheless, Adgar strolled over to his own bed, plopped down, and closed his eyes.

When he opened into his dream, he was in a clearing in some forest covered by rocks. Everywhere he looked, moss covered the smooth stones, in front of him, sat a tree stump. "Where am I?" The king wondered. "Why am I here? Is this even a dream?" Suddenly, he heard footsteps. He turned around, and behind him was a bushy-haired creature that had a body made of stone. In his hand was a wooden staff, and his eyes shone with wisdom. "This is indeed a dream, old friend, and I have summoned you."

"Paddie," the king said. "It's been ten years since I last saw you."

"Oh it has been long. But we have no time for catching up. I have news for you. Some of which you already know, some you do not." The old troll talked over the tree stump and sat on it. "When I first saw you carrying your unconscious daughter, I was willing to help you. But I did not know who you truly were. Now I do."

The king gestured at Paddie. "Really? If so, do entertain me by how the stars have told you who I am."

"With pleasure," Paddie answered, and began drawing in the dirt. "You were not the ruler of one kingdom, but two. You ruled Thorin, the city that you 'claim' to be searching for. Centuries ago, your ancestors came into war with an enemy nation, the Darkseiders, who controlled pure night, but were not necessarily evil. For decades your nation clashed with the forces of night, until the leader of the Darkseiders, the Dark Ruler sought for peace. He and your father became allies and soon the war was ended. But soon, things changed. There was a prophecy that arose of a young woman who would channel winter itself to restore the light, and this came to the attention of the new Dark Ruler. He saw the prophecy as a threat to his kingdom, so he ordered your kingdom's extermination. Thorin was razed, and your people were scattered across the world. You and your royal family fled to Arendelle, and soon took the throne. Now you have come back to the ruins of Thorin to look for any of your people who may be still alive. Your two daughters weren't even born at the time, so they do not remember any of this. Is what I am saying correct?"

Adgar simply smiled. "Truly your wisdom does not fail you, wise one. Yes, all that you have said is correct. I was indeed the king of Thorin, and yes, I did flee to Arendelle with my family. But you said you had news for me?"

"Oh yes. I need to tell you about your other daughter, Anna." The troll touched the tip of his staff with the rocks, and it burst into flame. "You remember that night when you came to me saying that Elsa nearly froze Anna's heart? Well, Elsa did indeed freeze Anna's heart, but it did not kill her. Instead, it stopped her flames, because she is like her older sister."

The king was rather shocked. "What do you mean, Anna is like Elsa? She can't control ice!"

Paddie snorted, "You say that is not possible, and look at you. I immediately saw that magical water coursed through you veins. You can summon water, just like any Summoner. Your two daughters resemble the two components of water, locked in an eternal struggle-fire and ice. True, Anna now can't wield fire, because that frost in her heart temporarily quenched those powers, so they will manifest her at an older age. And once she can control her fiery powers, she will help her older sister to fulfill the prophecy."

Adgar stared at his own hand. A small stream of water was coming out of his palm and into the ground. He had a tendency to do this whenever he got nervous. "You mean to say Elsa…"

"…Is indeed the one the prophecy spoke of? Think, Adgar. It's been years since there has been another one with powers of ice. Be it so, I cannot predict the future accurately. All I know is that Elsa will indeed restore Thorin to its former glory, and end the feud with the Darkseiders." Paddie stopped drawing in the soil, and stood up. Adgar realized that he had drawn the symbol of Darkness-a facial mask with red streaks across the eyes, and hollow, streaked pitch-black eyes. "For now, the future is in your hands, King Adgar. But I fear that you will perish soon."

Adgar simply replied, "Then I will die with honor." The dream faded into darkness.

It was still dark when Adgar left his room and went out to the deck. He had spent the last hour trying to comprehend the dream he had. _Anna has fire powers, and Elsa is the one the Summoner Prophecy spoke of. This is news. _He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a gold medallion with a ten-sided star, the emblem of Thorin. He had kept the medallion during the long trek to Arendelle. He closed it into his fist. Water began to trickle in and wash the medallion.

"Couldn't sleep?" a voice spoke behind him. Adgar turned around. Idun was behind. She had watched him ever since he had left their quarters. "I've been having dreams." He replied. Reluctantly, Adgar told her his dream-message from Paddie. Idun listened closely. When he got to part about Anna and her fire powers, she shook her head. "That's not possible. So many years have passed, and I have not seen the slightest sign of her conjuring flames. "

The king shrugged. "Paddie said they would manifest her. He just didn't say how or when." He faltered. "Of course, you wouldn't really know much about this. You can't summon anything."

"I'm not a Summoner like you, I'm just a normal human. But I don't mind. I believe that fate has given you and our children these powers for good, not for harm." Idun walked past him and stared out to the sea. "Being special means that you were made to protect others who cannot protect themselves. You just need to have faith that you can do it."

"Maybe..." Adgar followed her gaze into the ocean. This was a peaceful voyage, but something didn't seem right. There was a patch of darkness that was too black to be cloud, and was quickly making its way across the ocean. With a shock, he realized that it was a ship with a black flag, and its bow was pointed towards them. "Lucan, stop the ship!"

His warning came too late. The incoming ship slammed into the side of the vessel. No sooner than had it made contact, the air shimmered, and arrows started raining from the skies, ripping the sails with their obsidian-tipped points. He heard a splash and looked. Lucan had fallen into the water, and arrow sticking out his chest. Dead. Idun and Adgar crouched behind the railing, the arrows sailing over them. Suddenly, the arrows stopped firing. The guards ran to the royal couple, weapons drawn. The enemy ship rowed to a stop, and as Adgar watched, a man, or what he thought was a man, walked slowly to the bow that had somehow wedged into the king's ship.

The person was a fearsome warrior. He had pure-black scales that covered his body, making him blend in almost entirely with the shadows. He had no distinguishable features; instead he had a simple round face with no ears, nose, or even a mouth. He didn't even have hair; instead he wore a red crest, as if a Greek helmet was fused into his temples. His eyes were blood red and small, but radiated anger and hatred. He wore a suit of shiny bronze armor, and in his right hand, he carried a winged axe. Adgar immediately knew whom the axe belonged to. It belonged to the same person that had led the army that destroyed Thorin. Surrounding him were one hundred humanoids like him with black-scaled skin, but instead they carried iron longswords.

"Branar! Why have you come?" Adgar called. The shadowed man simply stopped and glared at him with malice. Then he spoke in rumbling voice, "To destroy you. As long as you and your Summoners exist, the world will have no peace." Being with no mouth, his voice echoed around the darkness, as if the black fog had spoke on it's own. Adgar remembered that Branar had slaughtered thousands of Adgar's people before personally burning down the city with blue fire. He cried, "Isn't it enough that you killed my brothers and sisters? Leave now, and perhaps I shall spare your life." Branar's glare softened for a moment, and it showed…pity?

"I have no choice. My king, The Dark Ruler, decrees it." Then his gaze hardened back, and he raised his weapon. Instantly, the dark soldiers swarmed the deck, clashing with Adgar's men. The air was filled with roars and screams as swords clashed and people battled for their lives. Branar himself lunged towards Adgar and Idun. They both scattered in different directions.

"Hey stupid!" Idun yelled to a Darkseider. He turned around, and she smacked him in the face with a broken plank. The soldier toppled over and she kicked him into the sea. Adgar called to her, "Run and hide until it's over!" She nodded, and ran to the back of the boat, closing the door behind her. He turned around. Branar had just lodged his axe free from the ground and was walking towards him. _You want a duel? So be it. _Adgar thrust open his hand, and channeled his power and ferocity into the palm of his hand. Water spewed out of it, and materialized into a trident made of liquid water. He tested its weight. Perfect. He then leveled his new weapon and charged at Branar. For a solid minute, they were evenly matched. They fought axe on spear throughout the ship, while the battle raged around them. Adgar twirled his trident as he parried, thrust, and stabbed in a whirling propeller of translucent liquid. In return, the dark warrior hacked and slashed at him with his full strength and fury. They spun and sparred, neither one gaining the upper hand. Both were clearly deadly, but not deadly enough to kill each other. But Adgar still had one more trick up his sleeve.

He spun his trident and hooked the winged axe by the handle. With a flick, he disarmed Branar. Adgar then concentrated and opened his palm towards Branar. Water swirled in his hand, building momentum and strength. In an instant, he had a swirling ball of water in his hand. Adgar took aim and fired with all his might. The highly pressurized water slammed Branar into the mast. Moving his hand again, Adgar focused on the water behind him and summoned a wave from the sea to smash Branar. The force of the waves thrust him into a pile of barrels. He concentrated one last time. Water began wrapping around Branar's legs and solidified, immobilizing his arms as well. Adgar then grabbed his trident, and charged in for the kill.

Suddenly, extreme pain seared into his back. Adgar howled, as a wave of darkness seemed to impale into him. The agony overwhelmed him, and he blacked out.

When he came to, he found himself sprawled on the floor, face up. He blinked, and his vision refocused on Branar pointing his winged axe at Adgar's chest. Adgar stood up cautiously, but pain still flared in his back, like someone had stabbed him in the spinal cord. The axe was still pointed at him.

Adgar looked around. 15 Darkseiders had formed a ring around Branar. Everywhere were bodies from both sides. Idun was tied to the mast with ropes. Surprisingly, the ship suffered very little damage from the battle, but as far as Adgar knew, all of his entire garrison and crew were dead. He glared at Branar and growled, "Be done with it then."

"Oh, I won't kill you," someone said, "It is far beneath me." As Adgar watched, smoky mist swirled around the deck, and came to form a man in a dark robe and hood. Adgar knew immediately that this was the Dark Ruler, for he wore an unmistakable artifact-The Mask of Eternal Night, a replica of the Symbol of Darkness. The masked man drew closer, and his mask crumpled away to reveal a fair face with orange hair and an evil smile. This was the ageless Ruler of the Darkseiders.

"You." Adgar replied coldly. "You were the one who broke the peace with Thorin. You were the one who killed my father!" The man grinned, but showed no sympathy or warmth. "Yes to all of that. I suppose you think that I have come to kill you. But no, I will leave that to fate. But I wish to tell you something before you die." He strolled over to Idun and examined her. "A beautiful woman, no doubt. Too bad she is not as powerful as you."

"What do you want to tell me, traitor?" Adgar snapped.

The Dark Ruler walked straight up to him and looked into his eyes. "I have come to tell you about the coming death of your daughters. You see, I've always fancied charming my prey before I kill them. And you Summoners are my prey. True, I love the thrill of hunting my quarry, but I have decided to do something…different. I know perfectly well of your children and the threat they pose of my rule. Using my powers, I have created a mere imbalance within the kingdoms. When your two daughters have so foolishly gained my trust, I will kill them both and destroy Arendelle as well."

"You must be really foolish to tell us everything you are planning to do. We will let the world know," Idun shouted from her bonds.

The Dark Ruler stifled a laugh. "I am doing this out of nobility. Do you not think it's surprisingly kind of me to tell you how your daughters will die so you can stop it? Alas, you cannot prevent it. By the way, I have sapped you of your powers using dark magic, so you can't fight back." He nodded at Branar, and Branar pointed his winged axe toward the sky. The clouds began to rumble, and the waves began to churn. The Darkseiders then gathered together. Streams of darkness swirled around them, and then they began to fade. Taking the chance, Adgar rushed to Idun and untied her.

"Dark Ruler! You said you would not kill us!" Adgar shouted to him above the roaring wind.

"Oh I said I would leave that to fate," The warlord laughed, "But it seems that Mother Nature has said otherwise!" His voice faded with the night as he, Branar and the Darkseider soldiers dissolved into the sky. The waves swirled and lapped the side of the boat. Adgar tried to control the waves, but the Dark Ruler was right. He was powerless. Idun screamed and grabbed Adgar's arm. They held each other close in fear, powerless, as the waves crashed in on them. Adgar's last thought before he succumbed to the darkness was _Elsa, Anna, I'm sorry. I promised I would return. _

Far off on a distant island, the Dark Ruler sensed their deaths. He bowed his head. "So passed a worthy opponent." In front of him stood a slender figure, his skin pale-grey. The person shimmered and fizzled, for it was a mere apparition. The figure spoke. "You have done well, my servant. Continue the rest of your plan. I expect good results." The thing faded into the storm. Branar cleared his throat. "My lord, about your plan. What if, should the worst ever happen, our plan fails?"

He looked at Branar through his dark mask, his eyes emotionless, devoid of life. He said nothing at first, but then he rasped, "Then we will kill the sisters nonetheless."

End Prologue


	2. Chapter 1-Shattered Peace

**Shattered Peace**

The afternoon sunlight warmed the blue castle of Arendelle, the walls adorned with its royal banners. It was Arendelle's 300th year anniversary, and the castle was set for a festive mood. All of the surrounding kingdoms had come to celebrate, and so did the nearby villages outside the enormous lake. Everyone was getting ready for the evening banquet with the other kingdoms. Well, most of them were. In the royal bedroom, there was a white-haired, purple-clothed lady, who was pacing back and forth with a piece of paper in her hand. Queen Elsa.

"Greetings, people of Arendelle…no, wait. That doesn't sound right." She paused, picked up her quill pen, and jotted some words down. She had spent the last 30 minutes rehearsing her opening speech for the banquet. She was really determined not to screw this up. This was the first time she had to do a speech ever since she was crowned queen of Arendelle 3 years ago. "Right, I need to pause for a while after 'Arendelle', before greeting the other kingdoms, then…" Suddenly the floor flew open.

"Elsa! Where have you been? We've been calling for you five minutes ago!" Anna cried as she burst in. Elsa laughed and hugged her younger sister. Anna's hair was growing longer, and she had a much older face, but she was still her younger sister, now and forever. Standing outside the door was Kristoff, Anna's husband.

"I've been practicing my speech for tonight! What is it now?" Elsa ruffled her sister's hair, and gazed at the ships coming in. Kristoff grinned and answered, "The king and queen from the Southern Isles have come to join the festival. And they've got some questions they want to ask you."

Elsa frowned. The kingdom of the Southern Isles was, in a way, a rival with Arendelle, after what happened to their son and her archenemy, Hans. There was very little contact with them, because after Hans was taken away from Arendelle after trying to take the throne, both kingdoms had grown silent towards each other. Now that their king and queen had come, this was news.

"That's…interesting. I'll be there in 10 minutes." Elsa replied. She scanned her script one last time, then put in the table closet. Elsa paused, and looked at the painting above her. Anna walked over and stared at the picture of her family, before their parents had died in a storm overseas. Kristoff decided it'd be wise to keep quiet. Anna put a hand on her sister's shoulder. "I wish that they didn't have to die so soon. We're not ready to run a kingdom."

Elsa sighed. "You're right. I still have much to learn. I could never understand how they still didn't crack from the stress. Now get out of here, I've got to change!" She playfully shooed them both away, then closed her door.

"Come on, Anna, we've got to be there as well!" Kristoff said, and he ran to his new room. Anna also went inside her own chambers and changed into a dark green dress with a tiara on her head. Just before she left the room, she hesitated, and stopped right next to the fireplace. Anna stooped down, picked up a fiery ember and placed it in the center of her hand. "Come on, Anna. Nobody's here..." She closed her eyes and forced the heat from the air into her palm. When she opened her eyes, her hand was wreathed in flames. She willed the ball of fire to levitate back into the fireplace. Anna never knew how she could do this. She suspected that it had something to do with her thawing out of her ice statue when Elsa accidentally froze her.

"Anna, hurry up!" Kristoff called outside her door. Quickly, Anna extinguished the fire and ran out of her room.

The sun was setting over the castle as Elsa made her way to the throne room, dressed in her royal robes. With her scepter in hand, she sat on her throne, with Anna and Kristoff standing on either side.

"Your majesty, I present to you King Justus and Queen Kana of the Southern Isles," her messenger called, the doors opened, and in walked the King and Queen. They were both way older than Elsa, around 50 years old, but they still feared her, because of the stories of her powers over ice. Justus already had grey coarse hair growing on his head, and he was clothed in a noble red coat. Kana wore a matching orange robe and a silver crown rested on her head. They both bowed to Elsa, and then stood up. King Justus spoke first. "Your Highness, my queen and I have come here to celebrate the 300th birthday of Arendelle. "

"The pleasure is mine, Justus. It seems an eternity away since our two kingdoms have met. I believe you have questions to ask me?" Elsa asked. Anna beamed at her sister. Elsa had been taking lessons on how to greet royalty, and she putting it into practice well.

"Well, yes. It concerns our thirteenth son, Hans." The king stammered. "You see, as punishment for his crimes, we exiled him to a distant island between the border of Arendelle and the Southern Isles. However, just last month we found the island empty with the guards missing. We have searched our kingdom far and wide, but he seems to have vanished. I suppose that you have seem any trace of him?"

Elsa rose from the throne and walked over to them. She tried not to show any sign of nervousness. "Sadly, no. My kingdom would have already known if an intruder was in our borders. I will send for scouts to help you in finding your lost son."

She stopped in front of them and put her hands on King Justus's shoulders. "But for now, it is a time of celebration. My servants will bring you to my guest rooms in the castle. I hope to see you tonight at the banquet." The King and queen both nodded, and left the throne room. Elsa then left and walked up the stairs to her room. Anna trailed behind her and said, "Nicely done. I couldn't have done better."

Elsa shrugged. "I just decided to be nice and put my manners to good use. You'll get to do this once you're queen. "Anna rolled her eyes. "Oh please. You haven't died yet. That gives me more time to annoy you. Now are we going down to the banquet or not? It starts an hour after the sun sets."

"Don't worry. I'm just going to finalize my lines." Elsa retreated into her bedroom and closed the door. Anna then turned around and walked downstairs. But had she looked out the window, she would have seen a grey hooded figure walk into the castle, unnoticed. The figure stopped and looked up at the window. He placed his hand on a sword at his waist.

Elsa walked into the hall just as the guests were getting seated. She was dressed in the same clothes she wore in the afternoon. No sooner had she walked in then the people all stood up in salute. Her seat was at the front of the tables, right next to Anna and Kristoff, who were already seated. Elsa looked around. She could make out some people from the other kingdoms: Princess Chroma from the Eastern seas, King Justus and Kana, King Nathanael of Pergamon, and many others from Arendelle's allies. She walked over to her seat and, using her powers, formed an ice chalice kept intact with her will. She poured a little wine into the cup, and stood. Surveying the guests, she took a deep breath and began her opening speech. _Just don't screw up._

"Greetings, nobles of Arendelle, and to you, fellow guests from the foreign kingdoms. I am Elsa, Queen of Arendelle. It is an honor to be here at this momentous occasion. We have gathered here to celebrate the 300th year of Arendelle's origin. Three centuries ago, our kingdom was formed out of nomadic villages, and we commemorate the birth of Arendelle. But tonight is also a time of remembrance. Not too long ago, my father and mother died in a voyage, and in return I was crowned queen of this kingdom. Being born with powers over ice, I posed a threat to your kingdoms, for I had not controlled them. But I assure you, I will to my best to reinstate my parent's legacy. Together, as friends, we will prosper. "

Elsa reached down and took her chalice and raised it. "To Arendelle, and to a bright future!" "TO ARENDELLE!" 50 voices boomed in the dining hall as the guests raised their glasses. Then they all sat down to eat.

"It seems that you've really been practicing those lines," Kristoff chuckled as he sipped a bowl of warm soup.

"Yeah, it was hard. You have no idea how hard it was to keep a straight face." Elsa replied. She picked a roast pheasant and cut off a portion for herself. Just before she took a bite, she suddenly heard screaming at the doors. Everyone looked in confusion as the doors banged open and in rushed one of the guards, clutching his shoulder as blood dripped out of the side.

"Your Highness, we're under attack!" Once after he said that, the air materialized 2 meters above him, and a dark figure jumped on the guard and stabbed him to death. The guests screamed as 6 figures faded into the room, scaring the heck out of them.

Each person was donned in black from head to toe. Upon close inspection Elsa realized that they weren't dressed in black, but had black scaly skin. They had a crown of three horns that adorned their heads, and they all carried twin serrated machetes that were two feet long. As they watched, the window behind Elsa shattered, and she ducked. In flew another black warrior, but he was different. He had a demon's tail that came out of his body, and a set of dragon's wings jutted out his shoulders. His head was slanted backwards in a triangular shape, ending at a point at the edge of his skull. All of them had narrow slits for eyes, and their eyes glowed light orange. The winged one (Elsa guessed was the leader) pulled back on a bladed longbow and notched a black arrow at Elsa's heart.

"Kill them!" the winged archer bellowed, and chaos ensued. The guests all fled out of the room and called for guards. Elsa froze the arrow midair and also ran to the doors, but then one of the attackers teleported in front of her and locked it. Anna and Kristoff quickly grabbed some dinner knives and stood back to back. The warriors surged forward. Anna kicked away one of them and stabbed him with the knife. The thing roared as he staggered backward, the blade lodged in his eye. Kristoff held a frying pan and started smacking anyone who came too close.

Elsa saw all of these things at once, but her attention was drawn to the archer and 3 three other warriors. She waved her hand, and an ice spike erupted from the ground. They disappeared and emerged behind the projectile.

"Okay, so these things can teleport." Elsa muttered. "Not good." She heard the air hum above her and jumped out of the way as a warrior jumped down and smashed the spot where she once was. Else launched barrage after barrage of ice spikes at the group of attackers, but with every barrage she was growing tired and she started to miss. She had never tried summoning so much ice at once. The last time she made an entire ice castle, she was completely devoid of energy for two days.

Elsa suddenly was face to face with the black archer. She created an icicle spike and charged at him, but at the last second, he spread his wings and filled the room with wind, knocking her into Anna and Kristoff. The archer took aim and landed a sharp arrow at Kristoff's stomach. Kristoff wasn't dead, but he crumpled from the pain. Elsa was so stunned she didn't notice a second arrow being nocked.

Anna screamed with rage and stretched her hand at the assailant. What happened next was rather strange in Elsa's eyes. A jet of fire shot out of Anna's hand and engulfed the archer in flames. He screamed as his wings started to burn, but try as he might to fly away, his body started to smoke and he disintegrated into ash. Elsa stared at her sister in shock. "How did you do that?"

"I don't know, I just got angry and I felt that my hands were steaming from heat!" "Well, do that again!" Anna aimed her palm and the 7 warriors, but nothing happened. Two of them teleported behind her, grabbed her arms, and flipped her onto the ground. Elsa tried to run forward and protect her, but soon two more slammed into her and pinned her against the wall. The others gathered around Kristoff, who was moaning in pain on the floor, the arrow jutting out of his belly. One of them took his machete and raised it, the silver blade reflecting the moonlight. Elsa closed her eyes. The last thing she wanted to see was her friend lying with his chest split open.

Suddenly, the warrior was on the floor, his head beside him. Elsa and Anna watched as a man slammed into the people around Kristoff and slashed them into pieces. The remaining dark warriors released the sisters and turned toward the stranger.

The man stood and faced them. A steel mask with two narrow eyeholes covered his face. He had a hood that covered his head, and he wore a cloak made of chainmail, with a cape over his back. As far as Elsa knew, she could see no visible skin; even his hands were covered in steel gloves. In the center of his chest lay a ten-sided star that glowed yellow. No one knew who he was, nor did they ever see him get in here. He was in full gray.

The hooded man stood up and faced the 4 warriors, he opened his hands, and two steel katanas erupted from his hands. Striking a battle pose, he yelled and charged into battle. Elsa and Anna just stood there and watched. Elsa called, "Help Kristoff!" Anna nodded and ran to Kristoff's side.

The fight was over so fast it was almost a joke. The hooded man sidestepped his blade and sliced the first guy in half. He then slammed his fist on the ground, and two tentacles of iron ore spiraled up, constricted two more and pulled them into the ground. The last warrior sparred with the hooded man, but after 10 seconds, the hooded man kicked him away and sliced off his sword hand. He then leveled his katanas at him. The attacker finally got the message and tried to teleport to the broken window, but the hooded man outstretched his fist, and it folded into a mini-crossbow. He fired, and the last warrior collapsed into dust. He turned around, and looked at Elsa, who was staring at him in shock. Elsa found her voice and asked, "Who are you?" The hooded man said nothing. Seeing the injured Kristoff, he walked over to him, kneeled down, and touched the arrow with his finger. The arrow flew out of his stomach so fast that there was no blood flowing out of the wound, but he still in agony.

"Thank you," Kristoff gasped. The hooded man nodded and pointed at the doors. They unlocked on their own, and in rushed back the guests with reinforcements. They stopped and surveyed the wreckage. Glass was shattered everywhere, and the tables were turned. Food and wine was spilled on the floor. The captain of the guard looked at Elsa and asked, "Where are the attackers?"

"Dead." Everyone looked at the hooded man. "I killed them all, but they will return. They have come for your royal family." He gestured at Elsa and Anna. No one spoke. Then the captain of the guard piped up. "Uh, Elsa, is this person with you?"

"Oh he is with us. He saved my husband." Anna said. "But who are you?" The hooded man looked at her and replied, "My name is Steelheart. I have information of a threat that is coming to Arendelle. I can help you, but I need to bring with me your Elsa and Anna."

"Wait, why should we trust you?" Elsa asked. "We just met you. Plus, how do you know our names?"

Steelheart looked at them, and spoke softly, "Because I knew your father. He sent me.


	3. Chapter 2-The Journey Begins

**The Journey Begins**

_My lord, our coup was destroyed._

_How so, Branar?_

_The grey one, Steelheart, came to their aid. He killed them all._

_This…complicates things. _

_I expect that he will try to bring them with him back to Thorin._

_Then follow them. You have my permission to strike._

"What do you mean by, our father sent you?" Anna demanded. She, Anna and Steelheart were in her room. Kristoff couldn't come, because his wounds were too great. Originally, they were going to discuss this with the guests, but they couldn't stay. After the crashed banquet, Elsa promised them a safe journey back home and told them to prepare for a possible war. They left without hesitation. At first, everyone blamed the Southern Isles, but Anna reasoned with them that the attackers were not of these lands.

Steelheart just looked at Elsa. He had never taken off his mask, which led them to believe that it was part of the hood. "Your father is dead; that is no doubt. But I knew him. In fact, I was there when you were born, Elsa." The two sisters were equally puzzled. Anna said, "But what do you mean by, he sent you?" He said nothing at first, but then he hovered his palm over the table. A small cube fell out of his hand and morphed into a small chest. He slid it to Anna, and it clicked open, with a letter inside. Elsa picked it up, and read it. Her eyes widened.

"Elsa? What's wrong?" Anna asked. Elsa handed her the letter, her eyes watery. Anna took the letter, and read it.

_ Steelheart, my old friend. Tomorrow I will be headed for Thorin, or what is left of it. I may be there for a few weeks. Although I trust in the skill of my crew, I still am worried that I may not survive the journey. My senses have told me that someone is out to kill me and hunt down my family, possibly my old enemies. Should anything happen to me, I want you to take care of my two daughters, and see to them that they know the truth about their past. Nevertheless I trust in you-Adgar._

Embedded in the letter was the royal seal of Arendelle.  
"How is this possible?" She asked. "He knew he was going to die."

"I received this mail from a carrier pigeon a long time ago. Not soon after I saw his body at sea when I was fishing, before he was found and taken back to Arendelle. I immediately knew that someone killed him, so I did my best to reach Arendelle. Luckily, I came just before you were attacked by those…Darkseiders." Steelheart flatly replied. "Darkseiders? What the heck is a Darkseider?" Elsa wondered.

"Darkseiders were your father's worst enemies. They killed your grandfather, and now they have killed him. The ones that attacked you, the dual-machetes, they were only scouts. The winged leader was a Darkseider archer." The gray soldier stood up. "That was quite an impressive display of power, Anna. I suppose that's the first time you've conjured something that powerful." He looked at Anna. Even though it was just a mask, the slits seemed to bore into her.

"Sis?" Elsa asked. "What's he talking about?" Anna decided that she had no choice. "Watch closely, Elsa." She opened her palm and concentrated. In just a matter of seconds, Anna willed her hand to generate a miniscule swirling ball of fire. Elsa's jaw dropped. "How did you do that?"

"It's simple. She can summon and bend fire to her will, because she is a Summoner, just like you, Elsa, and just like me." Steelheart opened his own hand, and liquid metal frothed and hardened, forming an ornate sword with a golden hilt. "In the same way that you can harness the power of ice, I can control metal, and Anna has just learnt to wield fire. In case you were wondering, we are Summoners- an immensely powerful race of human beings that can create and control different aspects of nature. Your father was a Summoner." He snapped, and the sword shrunk to the size of a tiny needle. He gave it to Elsa. "You can keep this."

Elsa looked at her hand, which was freezing over and creating ice cubes. "So, there are others like me? I'm not the only one who can do this?" Steelheart nodded. "Yes. And they need your help. Long story short, there is a great danger coming to your kingdom. And only you two can prevent it."

Anna looked at Elsa and mouthed _we need to talk._ Elsa nodded, and they excused themselves from the room. As soon as they were out of earshot, Elsa wheeled on Anna. "You knew that you could do this…thing with your hands and you didn't tell me." Anna got scared. "I didn't want to frighten you! Fire melts ice, right? I was afraid that I would kill you."

"Never mind. We've got other pressing issues at hand." Elsa looked back into the room. Steelheart was just staring out the window, waiting for them. "Should we go with him? I don't trust a word what he's saying. I never met him, nor do I believe the fact that there is a danger coming."

"But you saw what happened last night. He saved our lives. If it weren't for him, Kristoff would be dead. Did you ever look at those things that attacked us?" Anna asked.

Elsa considered that as she looked at the tiny sword-pin. "You've got the point. But even if we go with him, who is going to run Arendelle? "

"Kristoff can do it. He's been recovering very well. I'm pretty sure we'll be only gone for like, two to three weeks. "Elsa nodded. "Very well. We'll tell him that we'll go. I'll send a message to the other kingdoms that Arendelle will deal with this threat." They agreed, and walked back into the room. "We will come with you," Elsa stated, "But we want answers. How did you know my father?"

Steelheart reached into his cloak and took out a medallion with a ten-sided star. He placed it on the desk, and it stood up and grew to the size of a lantern. Steelheart then took out a second medallion; only this one was black and had a mask in the middle. He placed them both side by side, and the medallions flared to life. They unraveled and a scroll appeared in between them. The scroll had a picture of ancient castle. Steelheart took out a small dial and put his hand on it.

"Thousands of years ago, there was a kingdom, called Thorin. It was cut off from the other kingdoms; in fact, it was on the other side of the world. It was riddled with mountains, so it was a very weak city. However, the people survived because of their natural ability to channel the elements, just like you two and me. They also carried a mysterious trait-their leader always came from the same family, but that family was ageless. They could only die in battle. Despite their powers the Summoners kept their secrets to their kingdom only. No one knew about them. At least, not until the last 500 hundred years." Steelheart twisted the dials once, and the scene changed. Instead of a castle, it showed a horde of shadowy figures battling people wreathed in fire and earth.

"500 years ago, a second nation rose to power and declared war on the Summoners, They were the Darkseiders. They controlled dark energy and night itself, but they used it to protect, never to destroy, until their first leader, The Dark Ruler, openly attacked the Summoners. For decades they clashed with each other, almost tearing apart the nearby lands. Although the Darkseiders were numerous, both were equal in power. They had the same types of battle tactics, both rulers were ageless, and their powers were the same. No one gained the upper hand, until one day, the Dark Ruler and the Leader of the Summoners killed each other in battle. This caused both kingdoms to retreat and welcome the new rulers on either side, my brother Solen and The new Dark Ruler, Makhi. In the each, they both decided on peace, and the Darkseiders were made the client state of Thorin."

He turned the dial one last time, and it showed a man wielding a giant scythe. "However, two things disrupted the peace. When your father was still prince, Solen received a message from the stars that an ice Summoner from his family would take the throne. This was great news to Thorin, because Ice Summoners are the most powerful and deadly warriors. The other thing that happened was the mysterious Dark Ruler that came to the throne. According to some people, he hated the peace with Thorin, and killed the Dark Ruler Makhi. He then took command and, at the same time, made the Mask of Eternal Night, which gave him immense power over darkness. Driven by his madness for power, he enslaved his own people and created a massive army." Steelheart then crushed the dial, and the scroll vanished.

"What happened next?" Elsa asked. "Let me guess, he attacked Thorin and killed everyone. From what you told us, you were my grandfather's brother (that's disgusting). But that still doesn't explain why we are here, given that what you say is true."

He shrugged. "I'm afraid I'll have to tell you when we get to Thorin. Meet me tomorrow at the palace gates. Don't bring anything but your travel clothes. And some food." An iron box folded around Steelheart and vanished into the floor taking him with it. Anna looked at Anna. "We agreed that we would go with him. You want to back out now?"

Elsa shook her head. "A promise is a promise. Even though it sounded crazy, what he just said, I think he's telling the truth." Anna sighed and headed for the door. Just before she left, she turned to look at Elsa. "Elsa, are you mad that I kept my powers secret from you?"

"I did the same thing 3 years ago, remember? I told nobody that I could control ice because out of fear that I would hurt them. I can understand why you didn't want to tell me." Elsa said. Anna nodded, and left the room.

The next day, Anna and Elsa met with Steelheart at the palace gates dressed in their travel clothes. They looked so normal a strange wouldn't even know that they were royalty. But they were. Kristoff came to see them, as so did King Justus from the Southern Isles. Elsa got up and addressed the crowd, "People of Arendelle, I will have to leave for a short while. Two days ago our kingdom was threatened, and now Steelheart and I will got to face this threat. I hope to return shortly once this matter is resolved." She looked at Anna. "Anything else you want to say?"

Anna went over and hugged Kristoff. His wound was healing very nicely. She kissed him and said, "Try not to be a jerk while running the kingdom, okay?" Kristoff nodded, and left the gates. Steelheart beckoned them closer. Elsa bid the guards farewell and they left, but soon King Justus stopped her. He stammered, "Try to find Hans while you're on your way please."

"Don't worry," Anna reassured, "We'll look for him." Justus breathed a sigh of relief, and walked away. "Now how do we get the Thorin?" she asked Steelheart. Steelheart just looked at her. "We fly, of course." He said that as if it were obvious. Elsa tapped her ear, in case she didn't hear that right. "We fly? How is that possible?"

Steelheart looked at Anna. He stated, "Being a fire Summoner, you can generate heat from the air around you. Because heat rises, this lifts you above the ground, thus allowing you to fly just by controlling the heated air. Try not to fly too high though, as you just found these powers. Using them too much will exhaust you." Anna gulped. Summoning tiny bursts of flame was easy, but she never took it that far. "I'll try," she answered. She closed her eyes and thought of the three of them rising above the floor. In the corner of her mind, she saw a tiny circle of embers. She focused on them, and her vision turned orange. Suddenly she heard Elsa say, "Uh, Anna? I think you've done it?

"Done what?" Anna asked at she opened her eyes. Then she realized what Elsa meant. She, Elsa and Steelheart were literally hovering above the ground, a circle of fire floating between their feet and the floor. Surprisingly their clothes weren't scorched. . _Right, _Anna thought, _heat rises. _She imagined them rising up, and they shot to the height of the castle walls. "Nice work, sis!" Elsa complimented. Steelheart nodded. He said, "Now try to propel us forward towards the mountains. Thorin should be in that direction." Anna tried one more time, and they began to move faster and faster away from the castle. Soon they were long gone.

"Now what?" Elsa asked after five minutes. The three of them were flying in Anna's fire ring at an incredible pace over at a patch of forest. Anna recognized where they were. They were flying over the Southwestern Evergreen forest. According to Steelheart, Thorin was past the forest, across the Great Ocean, and into the giant hills that no one wanted to go.

"We need to find a safe place to rest. Anna needs to tank up on energy before was can continue. It's okay, Anna. I didn't expect you to go there on the first jump. Unless…" Steelheart opened his hand and a small flare opened. He lit it with his mind and tossed it into the sky. It exploded in a blinding spray of light. "I'm calling for backup to transport us all the way to Thorin. For now, we need to stop and wait until help comes."

Suddenly, an arrow lodged into his shoulder. Steelheart grunted and pulled it out. There was no blood, but an inch-wide hole where the arrow had struck him. He yelled, "Anna, take cover!" and the sky filled with arrows as Darkseider archers appeared and opened fire on the trio. Steelheart and Elsa summoned ice and metal shields as they tried to deflect the missile fire. "Anna, try to land! We'll fight them on the ground!" Steelheart called. Anna aimed the fire ring at the ground and zoomed towards a clearing the forest. But before she could ensure a safe landing, a winged archer shot with deadly accuracy. It blew out the fire ring under them and they tumbled onto the ground. They got up. It took five seconds for them to realize that they were surrounded. At least 100 Darkseiders filled the forest, some with machetes, some archers, but most of them wielded longswords.

The Darkseiders parted and a lone black figure in bronze dragged a winged axe into the clearing.

"Steelheart," he growled, "We meet again." He raised his axe, and the Darkseiders all readied for battle. "Branar," Steelheart snarled, "It's been too long."

Anna looked at him. "Wait, you know this guy?" Steelheart nodded. He explained," "Branar is the oldest and second strongest Darkseider in the whole kingdom. Few Summoners rival him in power, including me. He was the general that destroyed Thorin." Elsa unsheathed the sword that Steelheart gave her. "If he's so powerful, why doesn't he take us on now? I'm pretty sure he can kill us whenever he wants to."

Branar chuckled and planted his axe on the ground. "I have my reasons. But my king has demanded me to bring you to him. Come with me, and perhaps you can keep your heads."

Elsa nudged Anna and pointed at the sky. A cloud was travelling towards them at a fast pace. Upon closer inspection, they realized that it was a man.

Steelheart followed their gaze. He smiled, or at least Anna thought he did. "Perhaps it would be wiser if we were to say no." He shot another flare into the sky, and the cloud dissipated.

Suddenly, a violent gale tore into the Darkseider ranks, killing everything in its wake. It shredded half of the patrol in dust. Columns of obsidian sprouted out of Branar's back and shielded him from the gust. It stopped right in from of them, and it faded into a dark-haired man. He reminded Anna of those traveler guys who hunted deer. A Darkseider made the mistake of charging him. The hunter sidestepped, and created a simple double-tipped spear. He impaled the Darkseider and smacked him like a ball in the sky. He turned around, and grinned at Anna. "Looks like I came just in time, eh?"

"Horatio," Steelheart said, "This is Elsa and Anna, daughters of King Adgar. They're coming with us back to Thorin." Horatio nodded. "I see. So, you bunch of lovely ladies are Adgar's kids. Pleased to meet you, I'm Horatio." He leveled his spear at Branar and began to spin. A tiny hurricane began to form. Horatio hurled the hurricane at Branar; it slammed him against a tree and knocked him out. Horatio casually gazed at Branar is if he were a piece of art. "He'll be out for a while. I guess we now wait." Elsa stared at Horatio. "Uh, h-hi. I'm Elsa."

Anna scoffed. She could immediately see that it was love at first sight. True, Horatio was handsome, but he wasn't that handsome. "Uh, random-guy-I-just-met, you said we're going to Thorin."

"Why yes. My other friend should be here by now. Ah, there she is now!" A beam of light flew down, laser beams vaporizing the remaining Darkseider soldiers. The light also faded away to reveal a blonde longhaired woman dressed in a yellow sleeveless robe. Horatio smiled. "Lilia! We've found ourselves some new people to join our club!"

The blonde woman looked at Steelheart. Anna tried not to look into her eyes, because they glowed way too bright. Lilia glanced at her puzzlingly. "I've heard of Adgar running away when Thorin was destroyed, but he didn't tell me where. I presume you're his daughters." She reached out and shook Anna's hand. "I'd say more, but we have to move."

She shot a beam of light from her hands. It flattened out into a swirling portal. "Hop in," she spoke, "It creates a tunnel of light that can take you to Thorin. I'd explain, but it's too scientific."

"Whoa, time out," Elsa interrupted, "Who are you guys?" Steelheart explained, "Horatio and Lilia are Summoners as well: Horatio can control air, Lilia can control light. I've called them here to help transport you to Thorin through their portal."

Elsa and Anna nodded, then leaped into the portal before Branar came to. When he did, the portal was beginning to fade. Branar took a running leap and ran towards the portal. Before impact, he faded into the light.

End Chapter 2


	4. Chapter 3-Revalations

**Revelations**

When Elsa heard of Thorin, she imagined a stunning city with castles and walls. She was disappointed.

They emerged on the other side all dizzy and nauseous. "Don't worry," Steelheart reassured her, "People who go through these portals usually get sick for a few days."

The portal had transported them to one of the mountains overlooking Thorin. Elsa was hoping for at least some sort of camp or structure. Instead the only thing she could make out was all the rubble that lay around the valley. Rocks and shattered pillars littered the landscape. According to Horatio, the entire city was burned down in one whole day by the Darkseiders' blue fire. Barely 40 Summoners escaped out of the entire population. Steelheart's group fled into a secret passage deep in the Northern side of the city. He was right. As far as she could tell, the city was razed.

Lilia led the Summoners through the ruins towards the other side of the valley. They trudged on with little talk. Judging from the silence, Elsa guessed that none of their families survived. _That must be unimaginable, _she thought. _Then again, Anna and I lost our parents at a young age._ She whispered to Anna, "I can't believe that no one ever told us this." Anna shrugged. "Apparently this was before we were born. That would explain why our dad never mentioned his past."

Elsa heard a crunch under her feet. She lifted her right foot, and it turned out that she had stepped on a burned human skull. She put her hand over her mouth, partly to not scream, partly to not puke. She shot some snow at the cracked bone, covering it. Taking a deep breath, she continued walking.

"Halt," Steelheart ordered. They came to a stop into front of a large hole in the valley. He walked up to the hole and tapped it lightly. Suddenly, the wall began to slide downwards and into the ground, revealing 2 golems made of brown stone. Much to Elsa's surprise, one of them started to move. It walked over to the Summoners and eyed them closely. It asked, "Steelheart, who are these two strangers?"

"Elsa, Anna, this is Soren and Lauren, Earth Summoners. Soren is a boy, while Lauren is his sister." Steel introduced them to the golems, and they folded inward and shrunk. They transformed into teenagers with identical clothes with arm-blades jutting out of their arms. Elsa couldn't help noticing that they were twins, except the Lauren had long silky black hair. She made a mental note to be nice to people with metal blades jutting out of their limbs.

"Is there anybody else who we need to know around here?" She asked Steelheart. He shook his head. "As far as I know, we're all that's left Even though we've scoured the whole world, I've seen no other Summoners call for help." Steelheart beckoned them inside.

They walked into a large cave that was the size of a dome shaped castle. Elsa could see a small campfire, bookshelves, and some doors that possibly led to living quarters, and a small round table with a metal panel on top. The top of the dome was sealed off with hard amber-Elsa found that confusing.

"This is our camp," Steelheart spoke, "It's not that fancy, but it has the normal mechanics of an average household. I'd say more, but there is something I want to show you." He stopped at the table in the center. Soren, Lauren and Horatio left out the doors.

"Where'd they go?" asked Anna. "The twins went for combat training. I've sent Horatio to gather some food for tonight," Lilia answered.

Steelheart tapped on the table. "You wanted to know what happened that night when Thorin was razed. Lilia used her light to create some perspectives of the siege. The image you are about to see is formed by the magical surveillance mirrors and memories from me and Lilia." The round metal panel geared downwards and expanded to cover the table. Lilia outstretched her hand and conjured a small glowing orb. It floated towards the table and dispersed, creating a holographic image of what Elsa took as Thorin. The city was cut off with an impressive wall that raised a solid 50 feet. Houses were scattered within the walls, and at the very back loomed a white castle. A single long bridge jutted out of one side of the castle and connected with the side of the mountain. It looked so peaceful Elsa thought it was a dream; or at least until what happened next.

"July 13th," Steelheart said, "That was the 5th year after the Darkseiders had peace with Thorin. You both weren't born yet when this happened." On cue, he pointed at the wall. As if he had commanded it, Elsa watched as thousands of Darkseider archers flew in and rained arrows from the skies, killing innocent civilians. Alarm bells rang. The scene soon changed to a battle in the town center. Elsa stared as soldiers in robes charged into the streets and hurled fire, water, and gusts of wind at the attackers. Much to her dismay, the sheer numbers of Darkseider warriors cut them down.

Steelheart, in the vision, swooped in with several Summoners. As he fought the Darkseiders, the Summoners clashed with the Darkseiders with jets of water. Steelheart narrated the battle. "At that time, even though I was the brother of your grandfather, I was part of his royal guard, the Defenders of the Sea. Your father was still a prince. There he is." He pointed.

"That's our father?" Anna stared in disbelief as a young brown-haired man wielding a trident fought beside a much older man with grey hair. The man, Elsa guessed was the king, swung and slashed through the hordes of Darkseiders with a strange curved weapon. "That is your grandfather and my brother, Solen. He fought with the royal weapon, the rare falx." Steelheart explained. Soon they came face to face to the Darkseider Elsa recognized on their journey as Branar. They easily overpowered him and forced him away from the town center, the Summoner guards pummeling him with water pulses.

Lilia nodded. "Your grandfather, Solen, loved your father dearly. Together, they were unstoppable. At least that was, until they met the Dark Ruler." Elsa observed the vision. Unexpectedly, dark lightning surged through the Summoner ranks, vaporizing the soldiers. A man in dark robes and wearing a mask walked in front of Branar and pushed him away. "I take it that he is the Dark Ruler."

In the vision, Solen silently yelled and charged the masked man. He was slammed against the wall. With a flick of his finger, the Dark Ruler slammed Solen against the wall. Her father tried to swoop in and save his father. The Dark Ruler grabbed his trident by the point and snapped it in half. He kicked Elsa's dad away and impaled the broken point into Solen's chest. Instantly, mist started to swirl around the two kings and enveloped them in darkness. The fog lifted after a while, and The Dark Ruler was holding a charred black skeleton. He snapped the neck, and the skeleton crumbled into ashes. The scene shifted and showed Elsa's parents running off somewhere. As they ran, the vision shifted to their faces as they looked back. Behind them, Elsa could see that Thorin was incinerated in blue fire.

Steelheart explained the scene. "By the time this happened, Solen was already killed by the Dark Ruler's pure might. Seeing that their king was slain, the Summoners tried to run, but were massacred by Branar and the remaining 70,000 Darkseiders. Your father took your mother through an emergency tunnel that led you out of Thorin's mountains. He told me he was going to Arendelle, so I promised to hold off the Darkseider army with the few remaining forces I had until your family could escape." As they watched, two Earth Summoners pulled down the rocks that sealed the passage. The holograph faded out.

"And there you have it; every single blinkin' dang thing that happened on that extremely uncool night." Everyone turned as Horatio walked in with a dead dear over his back. Steelheart's voice was traced with irritation. "That's not exactly how I'd put it, but yes, that was what happened. You see, Elsa and Anna? That is your ancestorhood. You probably never knew this until now, so I can understand that it's a lot to take in. But there's one more thing you should already know by now."

"The prophecy you spoke of," Anna recalled, "Is it the one about an ice Summoner?"

"Yes it is." Lilia replied. "When before you were born, your father and grandfather received an omen that an ice Summoner would take the throne. Ice Summoners are the most powerful fighters, being able to control winter itself. The reason Thorin was attacked, Elsa, was because that the Dark Ruler did not want Thorin to become any more powerful; he saw Summoners as a curse in this world."

"Wait," Elsa asked, "this prophecy you speak of. Does it concern me?" Lilia nodded. "We believe so. We've kept an eye on Arendelle for all these years, watching the progress of your family. We also saw the incident when you nearly froze the entire world. After some time, we have come to the conclusion that you, Elsa, are the one the prophecy foretold."

Anna held out her hand in protest. "Uh, no offense, but what exactly does the prophecy say?"

Steelheart walked over to the nearest bookshelf and plucked out a small scroll that was strapped to the wall. He unrolled it and placed it on the table. On the scroll was a series of faded words.

_From the Kings of Thorin a person shall rise_

_One who can harness winter, the crystal ice._

_To restore the kingdom, a war to end,_

_The Light and dark to raze or mend._

"Okay…" Anna stammered, "I got more than I asked for. I get the part about the war to end, but the first two lines are not pretty surprising."

Elsa was pretty nervous about how this conversation was heading. "So, I'm the Summoner the prophecy spoke of? I'm not exactly a powerful person or the leading type of person."

Steelheart didn't answer her statement. He whispered to Lilia, which was kind of hard when you've got a helmet covering your face. Lilia listened closely, then relayed Steelheart's message to the sisters. "Steelheart says that we shouldn't take this matter into account just yet. For now, he will train you and teach you how to stay alive if the Darkseiders attack. And they will attack sooner or later, at all the kingdoms."

Elsa's thoughts raced inside her head. She understood about her past and the coming threat that supposedly is coming to Arendelle. Even if it wasn't her actual home, it was still close to her. But the issue about the prophecy…Elsa didn't feel very comfortable with it.

On the other hand, these people needed help, and Elsa was not a person who would turn them down. Plus, if what they said about the Darkseiders were real, then the whole world would be in trouble.

"Very well." Elsa finally spoke. "My sister and I will join your Summoners and train for battle. But I don't really want to hear much about the prophecy."

Horatio held up his hands in a placating gesture. "Okay, fine. Helping us, yes. Talking about the prophecy, no. I guess we're all in agreement, eh?" Steelheart nodded. "Very well. Go and get some sleep in the cabin to the left. We'll start in the morning."

Elsa and Anna followed their directions and went to their temporary cabins. But once everyone was gone, the wall shimmered. Branar stepped into the room, a wound on his head. Using his axe, he carved open the entrance, walked out, and sealed it shut. Taking in the surroundings, he took out a pearl and smashed it on the ground. Smoked drifted from the remains of the pearl, and it formed a gap in the air. He jumped through it. Branar reappeared in a dark room. A man sat in front of him on a throne, his face shadowed in darkness. He possessed no weapon, but he radiated fear and power. Branar knelt before the man and reported, "My lord, I have found the Summoner stronghold."

The man spoke in a humming voice. "You may have failed to kill them, but you still have found where they hide like cowards. Prepare the armada. We shall go and slaughter them where they stand."

"My lord," Branar asked, "You have not recovered yet from your prison. Your powers are still weak."

The man spoke once more. This time, his voice was tinted with anger. "Be that as it may, I still am powerful enough to overpower Steelheart. He is our main threat. I shall capture him in front of their very eyes. And you, Branar, are to let them see the might of the Darkseiders. Do not question me again."

Branar rose and left the room, fading into the shadows. The man stood up from his throne and walked down the steps. He tapped the ground with his foot. A circle cloud of white mist appeared and formed a portal through the air. Instead of walking through it, a man with a hood over his face peeked in through the portal. The stranger stretched out a pale hand and touched the man's head. "Report, my heir."

"It has happened as you have said, great one. We have found the Summoners and their last lair." The man stated. The stranger's eyes glowed silver-gold. "Even through these gaps in time, I can still sense one of them particularly. Her fear smells…aromatic."

To this the first man replied, "The ice Summoner is still powerful. I shall attempt to break her by bringing down their leader. Their will shall be shattered, and you shall never have to fear about your enemies." The stranger withdrew his hand. "You may be the Dark Ruler, but your power is still weak. Remember, I am the only true leader of the Darkseiders, and my rule seeps over you. Remember what the main plan is: You are to destroy the Summoners while I deal with their descendants. If you are to fail, then I will return to the past."

The hooded stranger and the white mist began to fade "Never forget that final goal. Do it well, and I shall make you the second powerful sorcerer in all the eras." The white mist disappeared with the hooded man. The Dark Ruler rose and plucked a mask out of thin air. The mask was pale white, with red streaks from the forehead running down the middle of its eyes. The man, his face still covered in darkness, caressed the mask's cheek. "You know so little, Steelheart. I will show you the true power of darkness and its plans, no matter how weak I may seem. And when I do, you will be powerless to stop me."

End Chapter 3


	5. Chapter 4-Lost Memories

**Lost Memories**

Elsa flew across the room and landed flat on the wall. All the air was knocked out of her in one giant impact. Catching her breath, she looked up just in time to see a metal sword hurling towards her at an incredible speed. She ran out of the way and the sword impaled the place she once was. Freezing the sword over with ice, Elsa commanded the ice to snap, breaking the sword into bits of metal.

She was been training in the amber dome with Steelheart, who insisted that she learn how to fight a Darkseider with little or no ice powers. Anna was somewhere else, learning more simple things with Lilia. "Normally, Summoners fight with minimal control over the elements," he explained. "Using your elemental powers will exhaust you, although it is on occasion that some can use their abilities longer than others."

Elsa was in the Summoner camp for already a fortnight, learning about Darkseiders and how they were split in breed-The bald black warriors with longswords were the average foot soldier. Then there were the machete scouts and winged archers.

Her thoughts ended when an iron fist punched her in the face. Numbness exploded all over her face as her vision turned fuzzy. The attacker was one of Steelheart's creations that were formed from his powers. Being a Steel Summoner, he can create automatons and control metal into mechanical attacks.

The automaton hurled a second fist at Elsa. Evading it, she grabbed the arm and flipped the metal being on the floor. Ever since she was training with Steelheart, she was growing stronger and more agile. Frost crept up the automaton's arm and broke it off. Elsa materialized an ice spike and impaled its head into the ground. Finally, she froze the entire body with ice and imploded it.

"Not bad. You've managed to finally defeat one of my simulated creations." Steelheart walked out of the shadows, silently clapping his hands. "You've improved greatly in combat, Elsa. You can now fight with and without your powers. "

"Remind me again why are doing this again?" Elsa panted. It was six in the afternoon. Two hours had passed when she started fighting the automaton.

Steelheart replayed his words to Elsa. "In order to prepare for battle, the training must be harder instead of the fight. With extreme training, your actual time in the battlefield will seem easy."

"Right," Elsa muttered silently, "So we go extreme on training, so it will be a cinch in the real deal."

Steelheart looked at the nearby clock. "I want to give you one final test before we call it a day."

He pressed his hand on the ground, and out of the amber floor erupted three iron boxes. They folded inward and crumpled into 3 automatons, but they were different from the last one. They were humanoids with pure silver bodies. They looked so simple and defenseless Elsa thought it was a joke until they attacked. The first automaton hurled his leg in a roundhouse kick so fast that she barely had time to put up an ice wall to block it. Once the feet connected with the wall, it shattered, but Elsa used it to her advantage. She concentrated all the spikes into a single point and ran it through the automaton. Sadly, the automaton wasn't dead. It pulled out the spike and crushed it with its grey fists. A layer of extra metal coated it, making the automaton grow in size. Elsa unsheathed her sword that Steelheart gave her and sliced off its legs. She turned around to face the other automatons when suddenly the one behind her grabbed her and pinned her against the wall, its legs regrown. The other two raised their arms and the limbs morphed into spikes.

Out of the edge of her hearing, Elsa heard Steelheart call out to her. "I've created these robots so their life forces are connected. If you want to kill one, you need to kill them all. "

"You're not helping!" Elsa tore herself free and shot an ice spike from the ground up, freezing two of the automatons; they turned into fire and melted their frozen prison. She tried to create a blizzard to pummel the two of them with cold, but they all ignited and dispelled the storm with their molten bodies.

Elsa had to think. _Okay, so if their life forces are connected, then I need destroy them all at once. Since I can't do that while they're moving, I need to immobilize them at least until I can._

She put her right hand on the ground and spread frost all over the floor. As the automatons marched forward, they slowed down as ice grew on their feet, fusing them to the floor. They pounded at their feet, shattering the ice, but Elsa kept applying layer upon layer of ice until it trapped their legs as well. As long as her hand was touching the ground, the ice kept reforming. With her other free hand, Elsa summoned a stream of ice-sharp snowflakes that were as big as her head. They flew straight into the automatons, shredding into their shoulders and then stretching into the floor, forming icy chains that bound them all. Elsa kept her right hand on the floor to refreeze any of the ice that the automatons had shattered. Picking up her sword with her left hand, she lunged forward and slashed their heads off in a twirling spin. The automatons crumpled into heaps of scrap metal.

Elsa shakily stood up, extremely tired from the effort of conjuring so much ice. The remains of the automatons sank into the ground and disappeared.

"That's enough for today." Steelheart said. "You can go rest. If you want, you have my permission to go look at the other Summoners." Elsa walked out of the amber dome and headed downstairs. As she passed the dorms, she heard something jumping off the walls and the ground shaking.

Intrigued, she opened the doors. The room was the size of a small house, and in the center was the twins and Horatio, sparring with each other. Elsa had never seen an arm-blade before, so to her, the fighting style was unusual. Soren and Lauren jabbed their arms at Horatio as they leapt off the walls. Every now and then, they'd summon a mild fissure or stalagmites or stony walls to overpower him, but to no avail. Horatio fought with grace and speed. He spun his double-edged spear in a continuous circle. The speed of the spear coalesced a hurricane that sucked in any rocks attempting to hit him, increasing its harmfulness. Whenever a fissure erupted, a tiny cloud appeared under him and kept him aloft.

Elsa stared in awe as he spun his spear even fiercer, sucking in more and more rock. Horatio then pointed it at Soren, and the rocks flew out of the hurricane, pounding Soren and encasing him in his own element. Lauren tried to save her brother by turning to a golem and charging straight into the hurricane. Horatio swung one end of the spear into Lauren's face and struck her in the chest. Withdrawing and swirling his spear in his hand, he launched it towards the golem. It impaled in her left shoulder and fixed her to the wall. The fight was over.

"My friends, you really have to try better if you want to beat me in straight up combat." Horatio chuckled. He stretched out his hands, and the rocks encasing Soren scattered across the floor. The spear flew of Lauren's shoulder. She turned back into a human, the wound on her shoulder gone. "Believe me, we are trying."

Soren patted her on the back. "We can always try again next time. I'm tired." Elsa walked out of the way and let Soren lead his sister out of the door.

She turned to look at Horatio. "How did you manage to take on two people? They looked so powerful!"

He laughed. "I just used the more peaceful way. I'm an air Summoner, so that gives me an edge over others because I can use the air to lift things. In that duel, I used their own powers against them by attracting their rocks, making my hurricane more deadly."

Elsa was impressed at how easily he said it. From what she saw, it looked nothing like peaceful. "You looked amazing. I doubt I could beat you in combat."

Horatio shrugged. "Well, you actually might, because, you know, you're the prophecy gal and whatnot."

She stopped him right there. "I thought we agreed to not talk about that. Plus, that's not true."

"Whatever. You might want to go down and wash your face. It's all bruised." Horatio walked past her and went to his dorm.

"Elsa!" Anna shouted as she ran to her. Lilia stood at the far end of the hallway, her bladed bow in her hand. She called, "Your sister has been proven very capable of combat, Elsa. She fit perfectly as a controller of Fire."

"Really?" Elsa asked as she hugged her sister." Anna nodded eagerly. "Yep. Fire is my specialty. Watch!" Anna summoned a small fireball and lobbed it at the wall. It exploded and scalded the walls with brimstone.

"Awesome!" Elsa high-fived her sister. Lilia looked up and said, "Let's go and see what's to eat. I'm hungry."

When night came, Elsa and Anna were sleeping in the same cabin in separate beds. Elsa was dead tired from the intense training, but she just couldn't sleep. For some reason, what Horatio said about her and the prophecy was just disturbing. She was still awake long after the sun was set, so she decided to go get some fresh air. Sneaking out of the room, she crept outside the cave and climbed up the roof of one of the few remaining houses in the ruins of Thorin. Although it was midnight, the night was still full of stars and fireflies. Everything was so peaceful.

"Couldn't sleep?" a voice said behind her. Startled, she turned around. Horatio was on the burnt roof behind her, balancing on the charred bricks, his spear by his side. "In case you didn't know, it's my turn on guard duty."

"Sorry," Elsa stammered, "I couldn't get that thing you said out of my mind; me being the one the prophecy spoke of."

Horatio floated on his miniature cloud over to her. "I figured so. It's a big responsibility to be the 'Chosen One'. But you weren't the only one who was thought to be the destined Summoner." He set his spear on the roof, sat beside Elsa and stared out into the dark sky. She noticed that he was holding something in his hand. It was a pocket watch. On the cover was a picture of a younger Horatio in his teens with a pretty girl in a pink dress next to him.

Elsa got curious. "Who is that girl in the picture? Is it your girlfriend?"

Horatio sighed and touched the picture. "That is Nathalia, my older sister. She was a Plant Summoner, which gave her control over plant life. Not seemingly dangerous, but she could summon poisonous thorns and trap people in trees." Elsa had never seen him so sad. She assumed that he was very carefree and secure. "Well, what happened to her?"

Horatio looked at her. "Promise me that we can talk about the prophecy, and I'll say to you what happened. It's very personal."

"I promise." Elsa assured.

Horatio tapped his finger on the picture. Using the wind, he blew off the small sticky paper and caught it in his hand.

"Before Thorin was attacked, I was born into the family of one of the royal guards, General Avon. Like all of the royal guards he was a water Summoner. He married a Lightning Summoner and had Nathalia. Nathalia was 2 years older than me. Her name meant Birthday because she was born the exact day my father was born.

"When I grew up, I wasn't really noticed by my friends or my family, being a second child. Sure, I could control the winds, but they were pretty dangerous to those around me, because, well, I was only 5, so I didn't really understand how powerful I was. My sister always took care for me when my parents weren't around. I remember her always telling me that I would become great.

"7 years later, when the Darkseiders attacked Thorin, my father was one of the guards who were killed from the archer fire. As soon as they stormed our house, Nathalia was the first to rush to my aid. She hid me in my bedrooms' closet and promised me that she would find me once this was over. That was the last time I ever saw her. I hid in there, and waited. Finally, I dared to come out, and I saw the whole city in ruins. Bodies were scattered everywhere. I searched for my sister, but she was nowhere to be seen; I couldn't even find her body. I had lost my closest family member, and I couldn't even bury her. That's when Steelheart found me and took me in." Horatio blinked away the tears in his eyes.

Elsa didn't really know what to do. She never had a heart-to-heart conversation with a guy, let alone heard his past sound so painful. "Is there something else you want to tell me?"

He wiped his eyes and looked at Elsa. "Sorry. I usually don't get emotional. The reason I'm telling you this story, Elsa, is to let you know that we all have a shaky past. I know you do also."

_Okay, this seems a little awkward. _Elsa reluctantly explained her past. "When I was young, I knew of my powers to create ice and snow. There was this one time when I accidentally almost killed my sister, Anna. I never told her this, but at that moment, I never wanted to keep my powers. Then, when my parents died overseas, I was devastated, because they were my only source of love. I had shut myself away from Anna, hoping to never harm her.

Horatio listened closely. "Well, what happened?" Elsa fingered a small shard of charred wood.

"There was this time when I was supposed to be crowned queen of Arendelle, the kingdom where my father ran to after this place was destroyed. I got into an argument, and in anger, I shot a flurry of ice spikes at the guests, exposing my powers. Terrified, I ran away to the mountains and hid there. I was so intent on staying there that I froze Anna's heart for a small period of time. All this time, I've been living in fear that I will harm someone else."

Horatio patted her shoulder. "Hey, don't worry about that. You may be dangerous, but you are also just as powerful. There is an old saying in Thorin: What is your worst flaw is also your greatest talent. True, you are an ice Summoner, so you can easily kill anybody in here, but your powers are also a gift. Being more powerful than others means that you can help them and protect them in times of trouble. Plus, you are part of the prophecy that predicted that you would restore Thorin."

Elsa stared at him. "You actually believe that? I'm not strong or fast. I can't even lead a kingdom!"

"You don't have to be someone else to do something. Just be you. Steelheart believed that you are the Summoner who will save us. He had faith in you. Look at what you've done over these days. You've learned, you've trained, you're ready to protect your kingdom and us, if possible, from anyone who tries to stop us." Horatio gave her a silent message through his eyes: _I truly mean this._

She blushed and looked at the ground. "It's just so hard to take in. I don't think I'm ready for this kind of commitment and responsibility."

Horatio sighed again and looked at the fireflies shining in the night. "You can never escape your destiny, Elsa. There is enough evidence that says you are indeed the chosen one."

Suddenly, they heard a scream in the forests to their left. Looking outwards, they heard something inhuman roar. A jet of flame torched the midnight sky and basked the two of them in heat.

Horatio picked up his spear and stood up. "What was that?" Elsa quickly summoned an icicle as long as her arm. "Someone's in trouble from something that can control fire."

They realized with stunning shock who it was. Jumping off the roof, they ran towards the source of the flame.

"ANNA!"

End Chapter 4


	6. Chapter 5-Ambush

**Ambush**

Anna woke up in the middle of the clock. She had slept for a while, and she hungry. Rubbing her eyes, she sat on her bed. As she stood up, she noticed that Elsa's bed was empty. Puzzled, she pressed her hand on the mattress and sent her energy into the bed. Nothing came up at first, but soon she detected a small heat signature coming out of the bed and through the door. Anna remembered Lilia's training lessons. "One of the abilities of a fire Summoner is the power to sense the heat of a particular person and trace it." A faint orange wisp of smoke drifted from the bed and out of the room. Anna summoned a tiny candle flame in her hand and followed the orange smoke. She walked out of the room and stopped at the cave entrance. The door was open, and the orange smoke stopped there.

"Alright, Elsa. Where did you go?" Anna muttered to herself as she walked outside into Thorin's ruins. She couldn't really find Elsa's heat signature, so she scanned her surroundings. There was a patch of forest to left, and in front of her were the burned ruins. Anna was about to go back inside when she saw a dark figure dart to the forest. Curious, she kept the candle flame in her hand and headed in that direction.

After walking for a while in the dark forest, Anna suddenly realized that she had lost her way. The looming trees had blocked out the night sky, so aside from the flame in her hand, there was no source of light. Anna was starting to get creeped out. Squatting down on her feet, she shot a ball of fire at the ground. It landed and grew into a small circle of fire that surrounded her. Suddenly, she heard footsteps coming behind her.

"Elsa?" she whimpered. The footsteps got closer and faster; there was also a faint sound of growling. Thinking that it was something out of her nightmares, Anna screamed and shot a column of flame at whatever that was coming towards her. It illuminated a crescent shield before bouncing off of it and shooting up into the night, burning a hole through the trees. For some reason, it didn't start a forest fire. Anna readied another blast when the crescent shield slammed into her and knocked her to the ground. The small ring of fire was still burning, so she increased the brightness until it illuminated the attacker.

The Darkseider was dressed like a sentinel-his armor grey and sleek. His head was like any other Darkseider, but he had an indistinguishable feature; his head had a silver fin in the middle of his forehead. He wielded a crescent shield and a halberd. Anna prepared in to launch a blast of fire at him, but he stepped back.

A horde of different breeds of Darkseiders surged in front of the unknown one. Anna recognized one of the Darkseiders as a teleporting scout. Surrounding her fist in flames, she hurled a punch at it. The scout vanished into thin air. Transforming her fire into a hard magma sword, she slashed backward just as the scout teleported behind her. He caught on fire and dissolved. _Darkseider scouts usually attack from above and behind. Time your attacks so you can intercept them just as they reappear._ Anna mentally thanked Lilia for giving her all those lessons.

The lead Darkseider roared and ordered the others to attack, but before they could charge forward, the air suddenly turned cold, and all but the leader crumpled from the stinging ice. Anna put up a heat shield to avoid getting frozen a second time.

"Anna! What are you doing here?" Elsa and Horatio ran into the forest, flanking her against the Darkseider. Anna replied, "I was looking for you!"

"Don't worry about your sister," Horatio called, "We've got other problems!" The Darkseider swung his halberd at them. Grabbing his spear, Horatio struck the axe blade in the middle with precise accuracy. It fractured. Spinning his spear, Horatio impaled the Darkseider. He faded into the shadows.

"What was that?" Anna asked. "I've never seen or heard of this kind of Darkseider."

Horatio scanned the surroundings. "Those are the elite Darkseider guard. I've fought them once or twice." Suddenly, a thousand roars erupted from the forest. Hundreds of glowing eyes focused on the three of them. Elsa drew her sword. "We need to get out of here. Now." They ran to the edge of the forest, the other Darkseiders running after them. When they got out of the forest, they lurched to a stop. The ruins were covered with winged archers, firing at Steelheart and the other Summoners in the plains, who put up a light field to deflect the incoming projectiles. Anna and the others caught to them and passed through the shield. "What happened? Why are we being attacked?'

"Branar followed us through the portal! He found our stronghold and brought an army with him!" Steelheart yelled. Crumpling his arms into a drill, he ran out of the light shield and led back inside the cave. Horatio zipped in between the lines, slashing and stabbing Darkseiders with his double-edged spear. Soren and Lauren transformed into golems and summoned fissures that swallowed up more foot soldiers.

"What do you want us to do?" Elsa asked Lilia.

"Steelheart's making a tunnel to get us out of here. We need to divert their attention away from him until he drills our escape route." Lilia replied. "Elsa, try to pick off the elite Darkseiders. Anna, take down as many as you can."

Elsa charged with her sword into the ranks, parrying and stabbing stray foes while channeling a massive windstorm of ice spikes that shredded anyone trying to teleport in there. Anna made it a personal thing to try and save her sister from getting too reckless. She pressed her hand against the ground and imagined fire running up her body and coating her in flames. A streak of lava coursed up her fingers and spread all over her, hardening into elemental fire armor. Her eyes began to light on fire, and lava lines cracked through the hardened steel plates.

"No one hurts my new family." She muttered. Liking what she was seeing, Anna willed her fists to flare up. Her training kicked in. Drawing on her reserves on fire, Anna shot a twin burst of flame that swirled in a double helix. The combined power of the fire burned a hole straight through the central line. Taking the advantage, Anna ran straight in.

As the first Darkseider slashed his sword towards her, she grabbed the blade and forced heat into it. The sword melted. Anna channeled the fluid of molten metal into her hands and punched straight through the Darkseider's chest. Spinning around to intercept a scout's machete, her sidestepped and shot a fireball at point-blank range into his head. Anna struck and dodged, remembering every ounce of training she had with Lilia. She felt sorry that she was killing these impressive warriors, but she had no choice. They were trying to kill her sister and her actual people. Whenever they got too close, Anna stomped the ground and a wall of fire incinerated everything within 5 feet. Lilia had constantly told her in her practices, _Controlling fire requires a lot of emotion and strength. You need to deploy your anger and feelings to overpower you foes, yet it takes a lot of mental strength to keep that anger from taking control of you. Every element is channeled by a particular emotion. _Anna summoned a sword made of pure flame and cut down a dozen more, but there were still more coming. She was beginning to get the idea of just how powerful these Darkseiders were. Sure, if they were alone, they would only be annoying, but as one unit, they could just kamikaze her until she grew tired or until there was too may for her to beat down.

Anna managed to charge straight into the middle of the Darkseider lines when a wave of darkness suddenly slammed into her. All her joints refused to move.

Anna looked forward, her head frozen in place and watched as all of the Darkseiders disappeared into thin air. All that was left of them was two figures: The Darkseider she recognized as Branar, and a hooded man with a scythe, his face covered in darkness. Anna tried to free herself, but she was immobilized. The hooded man pointed his scythe at her, and she flew backwards all the way into Elsa and the Summoners. Elsa caught her and helped her up. The Summoners, including Steelheart who had come out of the tunnel, lined up and faced the two beings.

"Summoners! End this feud! Surrender, and my king may spare your lives!" Branar called. The hooded man stopped in the distance, and took off his hood, revealing a fearsome white mask with red streaks and eyeless sockets. He transformed the scythe into a staff and stuck it in the dirt.

"So these are the ones who still are trying to fight against me." The Dark Ruler's voice spoke in a bass tune with complete lowness, but his voice was extremely familiar to Anna, a voice that was curdled with anger and false sweetness. "Powerful as a coward, I would suppose."

"Back off, idiot," Horatio retorted, "You killed our families and friends. You tried to wipe our history off the face of the earth!" Soren growled and took up his arm-blades. "We will never stop fighting for all of our loved ones that you took from us." He shouted.

The Dark Ruler looked at Steelheart. "Well, well, Steelheart. These are your warriors? They are hardly more than a challenge. I find it interesting that you still struggle, after all I have done to you." He shifted his gaze at Elsa and Anna. Anna found his hollowless eyes extremely disturbing. Just from that one stare, her mind was turned to mush from the sheer volume of fear that the mask seemed to emit. "And I see that you have found some new…children to play with. None of them look so well."

"I-I-I've fought people like you before, "Elsa stammered from terror. Anna was surprised that she had the courage to speak up under that much pressure of fear. "Y-y-you don't scare me."

"I'm afraid many have said that, Ice Summoner, and you are not one of them. You barely have the ability to talk." The Dark Ruler mocked. "How long must you hold on your naïve thoughts about the prophecy saving you? How can you possibly defeat me? No, poor ones, none of you are able to stop the true power of night, the pure embodiment of darkness itself. Even the two most powerful Summoner kings could not defeat me."

Anna's blood ran cold. "You, you were the one who killed our father and our grandfather?"

"I believe so. You see, Summoners, your kings cannot protect you. No one can shelter you and care for you. Believe me, it would be wise for you to rather die than live and cling on to false hopes." The Dark Ruler put his hand on the staff, in transformed back into a scythe. "I offer you a choice. Either you surrender to me and die a quick death, or eventually die nonetheless."

Anna and the Summoners backed away slowly towards the tunnel. Out of the corner of her, she thought that she was seeing some swords and daggers slide towards Steelheart. Steelheart stopped and pointed at the Dark Ruler. He snarled through his helmet, "Come at us with all you've got, Dark Ruler. We will rise again."

He raised a katana and charged straight at the Dark Ruler. The Dark Ruler merely held up a hand, and a wall of darkness slammed into Steelheart and thrust him back. The inky wall grew spikes and rushed forward. All of the swords on the ground formed a shield and protected Steelheart and split the wall in half. Anna thought he was dead, until he stood up. The swords had fused to his back, making two majestic steel wings with each sword as a shining feather. He rushed forward again, this time launching swords from his newly formed wings at the Dark Ruler. The Dark Ruler sprout two tentacles from his back and caught the wings in tendrils of darkness. Steelheart's attack halted to a stop, his wings pushing against the Dark Ruler's dark energy. Lilia grabbed Anna's hand. "We need to leave." The others Summoners ran, but the sisters stayed, frozen in fear at the struggle.

Dark Ruler spun his scythe and struck the ground. Black chains erupted from the crack and wrapped around Steelheart's legs. They tightened, forcing him to his knees. In another quick strike, the Dark Ruler slashed off his wings. He swung a third time, only to be blocked by a hasty metal shield that Steelheart made. Through the scraping of metal, Anna could hear him call out.

"Elsa! Anna! Go with the others through the tunnel! I'll hold off the Dark Ruler until you escape!" He cried. With every strike that the Dark Ruler made with his scythe, his shield cracked and began to fracture.

Anna pulled Elsa away and shoved her through the tunnel. She turned to face Steelheart. "What about you? You'll be killed!

Steelheart took out a small medallion, the symbol of Thorin, and tossed it to Anna. "Don't worry about me! I'll find my way back!" Anna tried not to cry. She couldn't just leave one of her friends here to possibly die. "But…"

"GO!" Using all of his remaining strength, Steelheart stood up and shoved away the Dark Ruler. He yanked free of the chains and drove his katana straight through the Dark Ruler's robes. The Dark Ruler went limp for a moment, but then he straightened and put his hand on the blade. Darkness swirled around the katana and ran up Steelheart's arm, freezing it. It spread all over Steelheart, polluting his iron armor to black. The Dark Ruler raised his face; his eye sockets glowed blood red with fury and surprising calmness.

"A brave try, but it will take more than a tiny sword to stop me." He kicked Steelheart to the ground, and pulled out the bloodless katana. It swirled with black energy. The Dark Ruler raised it above Steelheart's head, the air growing more and more unstable with the amount of dark magic.

At that moment, Lauren yanked Anna into the tunnel. "Get in here!" She pulled the rocks down on the entrance to the tunnel just as a deafening explosion filled the air, dark energy streaking through the cracks in the rubble. Anna braced herself against the nearby wall, shooting fire at the rocks to burn away the dark energy. She just stared at the wall, tears streaming from her eyes, as Lauren pulled her away from the rocks that kept her from seeing the fate of Steelheart.

Steelheart lay unconscious on the ground, his mask rippled with cracks but still intact. The explosion of dark energy turned the ground and the ruins into a sickly shade of purple, vaporizing anything within 20 meters. His own katana was impaled into his right shoulder, still steaming with dark energy. The Dark Ruler stood up and gestured towards Branar. The warrior came over and lightly tapped Steelheart's chest with his winged axe. His body rose and faded into the sky. Nodding, the Dark Ruler waved his hand, and a wide black gateway opened. The two Darkseiders jumped in through the portal. On the other side of the portal, they reappeared in a dark hallway filled with elite Darkseiders. Steelheart knelt in front of them, his arms encased in shackles, a gaping wound in his right shoulder. The Dark Ruler stopped in front of him, and planted his scythe on the obsidian floor. "The mighty Steelheart, now reduced to a wounded, powerless human."

End Chapter 5


	7. Chapter 6-Acceptance

**Acceptance**

"Why don't you just kill me now, you monster?" Steelheart panted through the cracks of his mask. "You've already destroyed my brother and my nephew. My friends and loved ones are dead. Why would you not kill me and satisfy your lust to exterminate our kind?"

The Dark Ruler laughed, "Oh you will die, just not yet. I wish to truly destroy you especially by killing everyone else you've allied with. Only then shall I dispose of your filthy corpse." He walked over to his throne facing Steelheart, and sat down on it. "You interest me, Steelheart. You were among the few who know the most closely guarded secrets of both Summoners and Darkseiders." He took off his mask, revealing once again the same orange auburn hair and poisonous green eyes. Placing the mask on the side, he stroked it. "Beautiful, isn't it? I found this mask in one of our most ancient temples, waiting for a rightful user. I'm sure that people so ageless as we both are know the secrets of this mask."

"It was first made by the first Darkseider Pitch Black himself. He was the one that shaped pure darkness into a single object. Possessed by man and monster alike, it was shut away because it was too dangerous. Once the mask was created, Pitch Black disappeared through time." Steelheart recalled. "Yet you know this already, and the immorality it gives you."

The Dark Ruler smiled from his throne. "You are very smart, Steelheart. It seems as though fate itself has decreed that the most powerful and sinister take this mask for their personal good. Therefore you must also know that you Summoners have a powerful artifact of your own, the 'chosen one' from your prophecy. It amuses me to no end that such opposing sides can have supposedly equal might, yet never gain an upper hand."

Steelheart looked up at the Dark Ruler. "You broke the peace between the two nations. These two nations are supposed to be brother kingdoms!"

"I'm afraid that a greater power has spoken otherwise," The Dark Ruler said with mock pity. "Whom I serve has given me the honor of defeating your kingdom. Soon, what is left of your empire will crumble, and the world will soon follow suit." He paused, and then looked at Branar. "As for you, Branar, you have outlived your purpose. You have failed me twice: once in the raid on Adgar's ship, again when your men attacked Arendelle."

"My lord!" Branar spoke up. "I succeeded in letting you know where the Summoners hid. Is that not enough to compensate?"

The Dark Ruler shook his head. "Even so, you are no longer of use to me. We have captured the most powerful Summoner."

Branar stepped forward. "There is still the issue of the prophesied one…"

"She is no threat, and so are you. You are to be disposed." The Dark Ruler finished. He rose, and shot a ball of dark energy at Branar. Branar sidestepped and sliced off Steelheart's chains. Whirling his axe, Branar launched a gust of wind at the Dark Ruler, only for him to deflect the wind with his mind. The elite Darkseiders broke their positions and came to Branar, surrounding him.

"I have served you all these years," he growled. "I helped you hunt down Summoners to no end. I have served many kings before you! Is this how you treat your eldest and strongest advisor?" The Dark Ruler summoned another ball of dark energy. He simply replied, "You and your Darkseiders exist to help the Dark Ruler end all opposition to the kingdom. And now, your purpose is at an end." The Dark Ruler tossed the second ball of energy, but Branar and the others, including Steelheart, jumped backwards into a portal leading to who knows where.

The portal shimmered and faded into the darkness. Sighing, the Dark Ruler donned his mask, covering his face. "Alas, I had hoped I could see him die before me. But it is a mere thorn in my side. I know you will return, Branar and Steelheart, and this time, I will be ready."

"Well now what do we do?" Horatio mumbled as he sat down at the campfire. The Summoners were deep in the woods hiding out from any possible Darkseiders. As far as Anna knew, they had already been out here for 3 days. No one was willing to show it, but she could pretty much deduce that they were all shaken over the loss of their mentor, Steelheart. Most of them huddled around the campfire, waiting for their hunted rabbits to cook.

Lilia looked up from polishing her bow. "What do you mean? We've done what Steelheart asked us to do: run and hide until he returns."

Soren grunted. "The thing is, that is not possible. We just saw him get defeated by The Dark Ruler. Steelheart may be powerful, but he doesn't rival the king of the Darkseiders. If we stay out here, we'll get massacred eventually. I say that we just find their Darkseider castle, kill them all and rescue Steelheart."

Lauren elbowed her twin brother. "You'd think that it would be easy to just kill everyone and save our leader."

"I'm just saying. Nothing good's going to come out if we just wait here like sitting ducks. Either we go and take the fight to the Darkseiders, or we get hunted down." He poked at the charcoal with his left arm-blade. "Anna, why don't you go and fetch your sister?"

"My sister?" Anna turned around to look at Elsa, who was far deep into the woods. Over these few days, Elsa was looking very depressed. She never got near anyone. Every time Anna tried to talk to her, Elsa had shut her out. It was nearly as painful as the times when Elsa had hid in her room and refused to play with her sister. "Why do you want her?"

Horatio aimlessly blew a little gust into the fire, making it bigger. "Your sister's making a laughingstock of herself. We all know how important she is to our kingdom's survival, but she won't step up and lead. How are we supposed to be the legendary 'chosen one' if she sulks around and mopes at how bad she is? She just saw her personal mentor get tossed around like a rag doll. You know your sister more than we do. At least try to comfort her."

Anna's gears started turning in her head trying to formulate a way to reason and encourage her sister. "Why don't you do it, Horatio? It's obvious that Elsa likes you. She would listen to you more."

Horatio shrugged. "Ah, usually I'm all cool on giving pep talks to people, but I figure that this is more of a girl-sister thing." He got up and walked inside his makeshift tent out of leaves and dead branches.

"Girl-sister thing. Right…" Anna muttered. She got up and walked into the woods. She paused her footsteps when she saw Elsa. Elsa was sitting on a tree stump in the middle of a clearing, staring at the stars. She still wore her travelling dress, only that it was riddled with sword slashes. _Here goes nothing, _Anna thought to herself.

"Elsa, why don't you join us at the campfire?" Anna asked as she sat down next to her on the ground. Elsa didn't look at her; she just continued to look at the night sky. "I want some alone time to myself." She replied half-heartedly.

"You know that you're lying," Anna scoffed as she absentmindedly set her hand on fire. "Why don't you just tell me what's going on with you?"

Elsa finally looked at her sister. "Let me guess, Horatio told you to do this?" Anna shook her head. "Not really. I'm your sister. You can share your heart's feelings to me."

Elsa nodded slowly, then also sat down on the grass. "Fine. That night, before we were attacked, I had a talk with Horatio outside. He told me that Steelheart and him believed without a doubt that I was the Summoner the prophecy spoke of. Just for a brief moment, I was filled with strength and hope. I thought I could live up and take this role as the leader, until the Darkseiders attacked and the Dark Ruler overpowered Steelheart. I was so tempted to help him, but did you see what happened when he looked at us? I could see my worst fears, my most harmful memories. I-I-thought I was going to melt from the sheer amount of terror." A tear glistened on her cheek. "Then when he attacked Steelheart, I tried to move, but my thoughts had completely gone. My body just froze. It was almost as if I was frozen solid from fear. My will was also gone; I kept hearing a voice inside my head taunting me, saying 'You can never be the chosen one.' I thought I could actually do it, overcome my fears and try to be what people expected of me. But I was so crushed at that moment it left a mark into my thoughts. I figured this was worse than death: being reminded over and over again how powerless I was at that time and how big of a failure I was." She sniffed and turned to Anna. "What if the Dark Ruler was right? The prophecy was made up? That would explain why Thorin fell, why all of our ancestors died."

Anna tapped the ground with her fingers, trying to think of something. "But the thing is, everyone has that feeling when they are given a responsibility they can seemingly never overcome. Do you remember the time when you nearly killed me out of the fear that you would be a monster to those in Arendelle? Those two scenarios are just the same. You're mind was in the right place and the right plan, but you body just wouldn't cooperate because you keep resisting it. Try to embrace it and tell yourself-'you are the master of your body. You control it.' Your fate may have been already determined, but you just need to tell yourself to follow fate and go its path.

"Anna," Elsa marveled, "You're a philosopher." Anna smiled. "I'm not wise, but I've have enough talks from you and Dad."

Elsa blinked, and then patted her sister's back. "Thank you for comforting me. I'll try to follow your advice."

Anna helped her up. "What are sisters for? Now come on, let's go back to our campsite." Just as they were about to leave, something rustled behind her. They turned to look at the source, each summoning their individual weapons. An elite Darkseider in armor walked into the clearing with a scroll in his hand. He carried no weapon, but the sisters were still wary. "What do you want, Darkseider?" Elsa called.

The Darkseider stopped 10 meters away from them. He rumbled lowly, "I have a message for the leader of the Summoners." Elsa looked up. She asked the elite Darkseider, "What is your message?"

"My commander, Branar, wishes to have an audience with you and your men. Here is his letter." He tossed the scroll to Elsa. She caught it and unfurled the scroll. Anna read it over her shoulder.

_Greetings, leader of the Summoners,_

_My name is Branar, former commander of the Darkseiders. I have been informed that the Dark Ruler now wishes to destroy me, for he finds me with no purpose; my followers and I have been exiled from the kingdom. It appears that we both have become enemies against The Dark Ruler, so I wish to form an alliance with you. If you want to know more, meet me and Steelheart at Fission Mountain._

_Branar_

Elsa rolled back the scroll and looked up at the Darkseider. "Wait here. I will discuss this with my friends." She went with Anna back to the Summoner camp. Needless to say, their reactions were mixed.

Horatio read the scroll just to double-check the message. "There is no way that I'm trusting Branar. Come on, he's the guy who wiped out our homes!"

Lilia frowned. "But look at what it says. He is now the former commander of the Darkseiders. Something must have happened between him and the Dark Ruler, or he wouldn't ask us for help."

Lauren shrugged. "They're Darkseiders, for goodness sake. Something tells me that they are lying." Soren turned to look at Elsa. "You're the head here, being descended from the royal family. What do you say we should do?" All eyes turned to Elsa and Anna. Anna shot Elsa a silent message. _It's your turn to be the leader._ Elsa nodded. She said to the Summoners, "Based on my recent knowledge from Steelheart, Branar is the oldest and most powerful of the Darkseider generals. If they have now become enemies, it could easily mean that what's he's saying is true." Anna added on, "We will go and meet Branar. Now, where is Fission Mountain?"

The next day, The Summoners were all at Fission Mountain. It didn't take long to get here; they just jumped through another one of Lilia's portals and reappeared at one of the flat sides of the mountain. Anna and Elsa camped out at the rocks while the other Summoners patrolled the area. Every now and then, they would climb the mountain to see if anyone came down the mountain. Soren kicked at the rocks. "Where is Branar? Shouldn't he already be here?"

A voice behind them spoke, "Indeed. And I have come." The Summoners looked as Branar came down the mountain with his winged axe. Much to their surprise, Steelheart was with him, his wound completely healed. His mask was all too familiar. Elsa ran over and hugged Steelheart. "We thought you were dead after what the Dark Ruler did to you." Branar planted his winged axe on the floor. "He would have been dead if I hadn't rescued him before the Dark Ruler turned on us."

"Whoa, wait a minute. "Horatio held up his hand. "Is this some sort of hanky-panky? You're saying that Steelheart would've died if his enemy didn't help him?"

Branar stared at him with his narrowly slit eyes. "I knew you were brave, wind Summoner. I did not know you were skeptical. The Dark Ruler turned on me because he thought I was no longer of use to him. This goes against our core values. We may control dark magic, but we strictly uphold the code of loyalty and service. To be frankly honest, I did not want your city to be destroyed. I acted upon my leader's orders, something that I regret."

Anna crossed her arms. "Enough talk. You said you wish to form an alliance?"

Branar nodded. "Yes I do. Over the past few days I found leaked information about the Dark Ruler being an impostor. He was not the son of the previous Dark Ruler, Makhi. According to Darkseider law, no one apart from the royal family can be the king of the Darkseiders. I am part of the royal family. This gives us the right to overthrow him."

Lauren piped up. "What's in for us if we agree to help you destroy the Dark Ruler?"

"In return, I will enforce that the Darkseiders will no longer hunt off any of your kind. Any opposers will be exiled. My kingdom will settle for peace once the Dark Ruler is dead. I will lead you to the castle." Branar raised his axe and pointed to a bund of dark figure approaching them. "To aid you, I have called in my personal guard of elite Darkseiders, the finest and hand-picked men of my army: The Moon Warriors." The dark figures walked up to Branar and knelt before him. Anna recognized them as the elite guards who ambushed her and gave Elsa their message. Each one was in fine silver armor and brandished a halberd and a crescent shield. She counted at least 200 of them, few but powerful.

Steelheart looked at Elsa. "You are the chosen one, Elsa. Are you ready to lead this army and us to battle?" Elsa didn't show any type of nervousness. She straightened. "I am. I accept my destiny."

Anna shot her sister another silent message. _It's your call, Elsa. I'll always fight beside you._

End Chapter 5


	8. Chapter 7-It Ends Today

**It Ends Today**

Elsa gathered the Moon Warriors and the Summoners at the summit of Fission Mountain. Lightning flashed around them, but it wasn't raining. Branar led them to the edge of the mountain and stared down the edge. Split straight down the middle, the cleaved edge of the mountain plunged straight down, the bottom covered in darkness. He gestured for them to stop. The former general took out a small pearl. Elsa asked, "What's that?"

"This pearl will open a rift in the fabric of space and time and transport you to the Darkseider castle." Branar explained. "It behaves just like the way Lilia can open light gateways to travel anywhere."

"I don't get it," Anna piped up, "If Lilia's portal powers behave in the same way as the pearl, why can't we just go through her portal and end up there?"

Steelheart answered her question. "The location to the castle is shrouded in dark magic from the Dark Ruler's Mask of Eternal Night. The artifact keeps anyone from coming in. Only Darkseiders can go there. Usually, these pearls can transport a single person, but once it is energized, the pearl can transport an entire army." Branar pointed his winged axe to the sky. Wind swirled around the tip of the axe and sparked a single bolt of lightning. Branar tapped the pearl on the energize blade, and it crackled with energy. He threw it down the mountain, and it collapsed on itself before expanding and flattening into a black hole.

Elsa gazed uncertainly into the rift. "Are you sure it's safe to travel through that? It looks rather unstable."

"The pearl has been shocked with volatile lightning. It will collapse from the overload of energy if we don't act soon." Branar and the Moon warriors took a running leap and jumped off the cliff, disappearing into the portal. Elsa looked at her fellow Summoners. "This will probably be our last stand. Are you ready for this? Remember, follow my orders."

Immediately they stated in one voice. "We are prepared." Elsa and Anna ran off and leaped into the portal, the others following her. Her body was instantly dispersed into a thousand particles, swirling and remerging into a storm of dust. Then just as fast as it occurred, it stopped. Her body fused back together, and she landed on her feet right next to Branar. She stood up and took in their surroundings.

The portal had transported them to a huge courtyard within a large castle made of obsidian. Green flaming torches hung on the walls. The sky was black with no stars, only the moon, which was surprisingly blood red, hung ominously over the courtyard.

It was all pretty impressive to Elsa, until she realized that they had walked into a trap. They were at the very end of the kilometer square courtyard, and at the other end was a mass of Darkseiders of all kinds: regular foot soldiers, winged archers, horned machete-wielding scouts and a few elite guards with maces instead of halberds. There were so many of them, it made the Summoners and the 200 Moon warriors look like a tiny dot in a sea of enemies. But Elsa was still calm. Her training was all put into this one moment when the war would end for better or for worse. It was time to lead her people.

"Well, well. What have we here?" a voice resonated. They all looked up at a single figure standing in front of one of the doors at the very end of the courtyard. It was the Dark Ruler with his all-too familiar mask. He carried his scythe as usual. "When you left my throne room, Branar, I thought you were simply angry. I did not realize that you would ally yourself with the enemies of the true king."

Branar shouted back, "You are not the true king of the Darkseiders. My warriors and I side with Thorin because this war needs to end, and to reclaim the rightful throne. " His raised his winged axe to the sky, and all around him, the Moon Warriors roared with approval. Elsa marched forward. "It's over, Dark Ruler. Give up, and we will let you live." She drew her own sword. The Summoners individually summoned their own armor and weapons. Elsa's clothes morphed into the same clothes that she wore 3 years ago: a silk light blue dress with transparent sleeves and a white cloak. The Dark Ruler slowly nodded. "I gave you a choice, fools. If you wish to die at the hands of my army, then so be it." He pointed at the Summoners. "ATTACK!"

The archers took to the air and nocked a flaming arrow in their hand, firing at their will. Elsa cried, "Now!' Soren and Lauren stomped the ground in their golem forms. Causing a massive wall to erupt and block the arrows. As soon as it crumbled, Anna shot a giant jet of flame at the archers, singeing hundreds out of the sky. Bellowing in anger, the immense horde of Darkseiders ran towards them. Anna tapped her sister's shoulder. "What do you want us to do?"

In the last remaining time before impact, Elsa gave her first orders. "Steelheart, summon as many automatons as you can to intercept the charge. Lilia, form a shield around him and pick off the elite Darkseiders with your bow. Horatio, fly up and break their as many chaos as you can; weaken their army until there's an opening."

The Summoners charged into battle. Elsa ran with the twins and Anna. Branar wielded his winged axe and roared as automatons and Moon Warriors surged forward.

The courtyard was in entropy. The Moon Warriors clashed with their own kind in battles to the death. Automatons slugged and wrestled Darkseiders to the ground. Branar and Anna slashed and punched through the right flank while being surrounded with hails of lava and fire, incinerating those who ventured too close. They worked as a team: Anna severely burning the Darkseiders while Branar finished them off. Farther up, Horatio fought in a hurricane of his own, holding out against the winged archer who attacked him with their bladed longbows. He spun his double bladed spear faster, occasionally slicing off a wing or conjuring a blast of wind to stun them. Meanwhile, Steelheart kneeled on the floor, his hands merging into the ground, summoning dozens of grey automatons from his will. Lilia stood by his side, firing bolts of light and highly destructive beams from her bow. Every now and then, an illusion of her would dart around the battlefield, blinding or vaporizing a random Darkseider. Soren and Lauren were at the back, hurling rocks to form obstructions.

Elsa saw all these things in one go, but her main attention was focused at the left flank of Darkseider foot soldiers that were surging towards Steelheart. Lunging to the side, she unleashed a wave of cold air that froze their legs. In a flurry of slashes and swipes, Elsa cut off their legs and slammed them back with a storm of sleet. She came to a stop front of the Darkseiders.

"You want me dead?" she yelled, "Then come at me!" The Darkseiders bellowed and charged with their swords. Elsa's vision turned red.

Later on, she couldn't really remember the battle. Elsa slashed and hacked through the horde of Darkseiders, hurling ice and killing with her sword. Steelheart had trained her hard enough to with stand such numbers. Her sword motions were fluent and powerful, cutting through blades and arrows. The Darkseiders' battle cries drowned out any other noise. She could almost feel their strength and wrath as one whole army. Every time they overwhelmed her, she would unleash a new blast of ice spikes everywhere, each attack pushing back the Darkseiders for a brief period and giving her more energy and focus. Elsa wasn't really thinking much. All she knew was that they would no longer threaten her friends.

However, things took a turn for the worse. The Darkseiders soon got over the attack. More and more enemies started pouring out from the walls. Soon, the Summoners and the Moon Warriors were forced into a defensive ring, holding out for their lives. In the chaos, Elsa and Anna managed to pull themselves away from the chaos and hide on top of the castle walls. Horatio floated down from above, the skies now free of winged archers. _He must have killed them all, _Elsa thought. _I love that guy._

"Well now what?" He gasped as he stood on the walls, gasping for breath. "We've already killed more than half of all the Darkseiders here. Shouldn't we continue to hold out until they give up?"

"Hold out?" Anna panted. "We're getting tired unlike you two. I don't think we can just wait out the storm we need to find some way to ends this, or we'll get run over." Elsa paused them. "Hold on. Where's the Dark Ruler?" They looked across the battlefield at a large doorway at the far end of the courtyard that was made of obsidian.

"I have an idea, but we're going to need to kill the Dark Ruler," Elsa said. "Horatio, tell the others to keep on holding out as long as they can. Then come back here." Horatio nodded and flew down back into the battle. Elsa turned to Anna. "You remember that we're both tow separate parts of our dad's powers-fire and ice?" Anna nodded. "Yes I do, but what does this have to do with anything?"

Elsa pointed at the door. "We need some sort of way to bust in there. I've thinking about how our powers usually conflict each other. Are you ready to unify them?"

Anna tapped her head, the idea working into her mind. "I get it. You want to fire a bolt of water into the room and break the door."

Elsa nodded. "Just follow my lead." They stood side by side above the castle walls. Elsa stretched out her right fist, Anna stretching out her left fist. For a brief moment, they were sharing the same mind. Elsa could feel the coldness of her ice swirling around Anna's fire. Their minds struggled against each other, their opposites trying to meet. And then, out of the darkness in their head, was a dripping of water. They focused on enlarging the sound. _I must not resist, _they both spoke in their mind, _I must embrace it._

They opened their fist and their minds at the same time. A line of fire surged out of Anna's hand and streaked towards the door. Halfway across the courtyard, a blast also shot out of Elsa's hand, a spinning round of snow and ice that swirled around the line of fire in a helix. The two elements met as one, transforming into a massive jet of highly pressurized water that slammed the door.

Once the jet of water made impact, immediately a rush of fatigue immersed Elsa and Anna. The sheer power of merging fire and ice was taking its toll on them. Through gritted teeth, Elsa continued to channel the steady stream of ice into two spiraling helixes that surrounded the fire, doubling its striking power.

"Is it breaking?" Anna shouted over the roar of water. Her flames were growing thinner. Elsa used the bonding of their minds to mentally speak. _The door is about to shatter. Just hold on…_

With a loud crack, the water burst open the doors and _shattered_ it. Separating her mind from Anna's, Elsa shut out her stream of ice, and so did Anna. The stream of water had sapped them of nearly all of their strength. But the damage was done. They had now smashed a place into the Dark Ruler's throne room. Horatio flew back up and whistled. "That is one big bunch of collateral damage you did."

Elsa readied her sword. "Now we need to go confront the Dark Ruler himself. It sounds crazy. But I have a feeling that if we kill him, the Darkseiders will stop their attack." She looked at Anna. "That jet of water really drained your strength. Are you still good enough to fight?" Anna grinned. "I may be tired, but I'm still able to fight."

A moment later, the three of them crashed into the throne room. Before any of the guards could react, Horatio flung them out of the door with a gust of wind. The throne room was lit with torches. A black chair stood at the end of the small corridor. Anna looked around. "Where is the Dark Ruler?"

"I am here." A shadow rose from the chair and elongated into a man with the same mask. The Dark Ruler was armless, but Elsa still wasn't going to let down her guard. After all, this was the same person who nearly killed Steelheart. The Dark Ruler stretched out his hand and a scythe materialized in his palm. "So, the hero has come to save her family and her kingdom."

"It's over, Dark Ruler." Elsa said. "Your army has been ambushed. The Summoners have joined up with Branar to destroy you."

His mask was expressionless, but Elsa could have sworn that he was smiling. "You know some much, and yet you are still in the dark. The Darkseider army is endless. The power of my mask enables me to conjure up an infinite horde of warriors at my disposal. I can always find replacements." There it was once again-that familiar voice that she could never really know here she heard it.

Horatio stepped forward. "You would sacrifice your won soldiers just so you could tire us and save your own life without doing anything?" The Dark Ruler shook his head. "I will do anything to make sure that you and your kind are wiped off the face of the earth. sMakhi was a fool. He should have continued the war with the Summoners and destroyed them when he had the chance."

"But why would you do this?" Anna asked. "Why are you so intent on killing us?"

The Dark Ruler stared at Elsa and Anna. Instantly, another wave of fear passed over her. Elsa immediately shut them out. _No one controls my mind._ He regarded Anna with his black hollow eyes. "Fire Summoner, you do not know how much I have pondered that question and how much I have told myself over and over again: Summoners and the Darkseiders are meant to be enemies. They are like light and dark-they are to be enemies. When I found the Mask of Eternal Night, I accepted that I was to be evil, for I was born into a dark nation; and ever since, my acceptance of my faith was guided me. It is just like how you, Elsa, have accepted that you were the so called prophecy person."

Elsa soon caught on to what he was thinking, and she didn't like it. The Dark Ruler was like a man who knew his faults and loved them and used them to harm others. His way of thinking may have been reasonable, but it was wrong nonetheless. But still, something struck at her.

"How do you know my name?" Elsa asked the Dark Ruler. "You were the one who killed our parents, but they couldn't have told you about us."

The Dark Ruler walked down the steps and came to a stop 6 meters away from them. He shot a small tendril of darkness at Elsa. It snaked around her face, coldly touching her skin. "But I still know who you are. You and your sister were the ones that humiliated me and destroyed my…human form."

"Human form?" Anna piped up. "We've never met you before, let alone seen anything like you."

"Or have you, Anna?" The Dark Ruler drew back his shadow tentacle. He put up his hands and removed his mask, revealing a man with auburn hair and green eyes. Elsa's blood turned to ice. She knew that face. The man spoke. "Do you not remember your old friend Hans?"

End Chapter 7


	9. Chapter 8 (FINAL)-Restored Peace?

**Restored Peace**

Elsa stared at that familiar face. She didn't really understand the turn of events. The Dark Ruler, leader of the forces that wanted to kill her and her sister, was the same person who had killed their parents and tried to take over Arendelle. It just was unbelievable.

Horatio looked at Elsa. "Elsa, you know this person? How…?

"Hans tried to kill us and take over Arendelle as king." Anna explained. "He was the prince of the Southern Isles." She glared at Hans. "But weren't you exiled by your father and your brothers?"

"Oh, I was never a prince," Hans snarled. "It was just an illusion conjured up by my powers. It amazes me to no end of the full extent of my abilities. "He curled his smoky fingers. "You remind me so much of your father, Elsa. He was so noble and willing to stand up for others, to defend the weak." He studied Horatio. "Wind Summoner, I saw the terror in your sister's eyes when she tried to stop me. I killed her personally with my simple mind. Why do you not also submit to me, after I took everything from you?"

"My father was right to fight against you, and he died trying to stop the world form bowing before you. "Anna cut off Horatio's reply. She raised her fists that were wreathed in fire. "You're evil through and through."

"From your point of view!" Hans shouted. "From my point of view, the Summoners are evil! Don't you see, Anna? I've come so far to fulfill the will of this kingdom and my master, just like any other person. My soul is joined with darkness, and I have embraced to claim power beyond my wildest dreams." He pointed his scythe at the trio. "And it is my job to eliminate any other opposition, be it good or bad."

"You insolent fool!" Horatio leveled his spear and charged at Hans. A bolt of dark energy shot out of the scythe's point and froze Horatio in mid-air. Hans threw the scythe at Horatio. Just before impact, it transformed into a whip and wrapped around his neck, flinging him to the floor. Four black spires rose out of the ground and spun around Horatio, forming a solid cage.

"I'm not some mere pawn with a stick, "Hans snickered. "My mask turns me into a pure body of night itself. Come and get me, Elsa, if you wish to die in agony." He dissolved into a wisp of smoke. It flew out of the broken door and glazed towards the very tip of the castle. Elsa turned to follow him, but she heard a hissing noise coming from the shadows. She and Anna stood back to back in front of Horatio's prison. Out of the shadows floated half a dozen midnight-black soldiers. They had the shape of Steelheart's faceless silver automatons, but their skin reflected the ghostly darkness of the night.

"I've got a bad feeling about this." Elsa shot a pillar of ice at one of the soldiers, impaling him to the wall. It grunted and crushed the pillar. She encased two of them in ice, but they turned intangible and continued walking towards them. The dark soldiers countered every one of Elsa's strikes by knocking away the ice spikes or passing through the freezing cold. One of them almost got to her, but Anna kicked it away. Anna pressed her palm on the floor, and a ring of fire surrounded them and Horatio. Horatio talked from his cage. "Elsa, you need to get out of here and confront Hans. If you can possibly defeat him, then this whole thing will end."

"We can't just leave you at the mercy of these things!" Elsa said. Anna pulled her over. "We can't, but you can. I'll keep them from killing Horatio, but you need to hurry. They can't be killed from what I can see. Like I said before, Elsa, it's your call."

Elsa stared at her sister. "You'll die if I don't succeed." Anna simply clasped Elsa's hand tightly. Her eyes sparked with trust. "Then we will see each other soon." She summoned back her fiery armor and pushed Elsa towards the broken door. Elsa ran, but before she left, she turned to face her sister and Horatio. Anna was firing blast after blast of fire at the dark soldiers. She envisioned that it would probably be the last time she would see them again.

Elsa scaled the top of the highest point on the castle. When she finally reached the top, she looked around. She was standing at the edge of a large circular platform that strangely resembled a dueling area. She turned around and looked over the edge. Elsa could still see the Summoners and Moon Warriors holding shakily against the Darkseiders. As she looked away, something large slammed her into the center of the platform, knocking her sword off the ledge. Black smoke gathered from the clouds and circled around her. Just as Elsa stood up, two black chains lashed out from the smoke and latched onto her arms, chaining her to the ground.

"Be honored, young one," Hans said as he stepped out from the smoke. "Few have ever deserved my attention of battle." Six tentacles made of shadow sprouted from his back, each one hardened in metal. The tentacles surged forward. Elsa willed an ice wall to appear and intercept the tentacles. Pushing against the attack with her mind, she commanded frost to creep up the tentacles and snap off their tips. "My hands may be chained, but I'm still deadly as ever." Elsa growled. "Back off, Hans."

Hans chuckled to himself. "The puny Summoner asks me to lay down my weapons? You are not a fighter, Elsa. Where did you find such profound courage?"

Elsa struggled to find the right words. "But I am a queen. And it is my job to protect my people." She turned the chains to ice and snapped them. Twirling the broken chains like a flail, she flung them towards Hans. He disappeared and remerged right behind her. Well, she didn't see him, but she could trace his voice as it drifted through the smoke. "You may be a ruler, but your people are doomed. You doubt your powers and your rule over them. You carry the weight of the prophecy on your shoulders." He materialized in front of her. Before she could counter attack, his green eyes glowed sickly yellow. A mental blast overwhelmed Elsa's mind and her vision turned white.

Elsa groggily stood up. She was, well, she didn't know where she was. She could see herself frozen in a writhing state. Everything was frozen in time. The smoke itself had stopped; nothing was moving. Elsa looked at her hands and gasped. Her hands were smoky and blurred. Her entire body seemed to be made of steam. Looking down, she saw a grey mixture of colors of where her dress and legs were. Her mind was also blurred; she felt weightless. In fact, her body was drifting away from her other self and came to a stop above the battle. Elsa looked in front of her, and she saw two shining balls of light hover in the air.

"Am I dead?" Elsa wondered. It seemed like it; her vision was hazy and she couldn't even feel her legs or her arms. A male voice whispered in her conscience. "You are very much alive. It seems fitting that we can have this time to talk." The two balls of light came to settle in front of Elsa. They stretched and grew limbs. The glow faded and revealed 2 men. One of them wore a black and red coat. His face was regal and calm. The other man was much older and was dressed in the wardrobe of a knight, his expression stern. Elsa could make out that the older one was Solen, her grandfather, but she immediately recognized the first person.

"Father, I've failed you. " Elsa stammered. She reached out her hand touch him, but it's smoky palm passed through him. Her father smiled and put his warm hands on her shoulders. "There is no need for regret, my child. You have done well and have upheld our people."

"I've done well? How could I have done well? I can't defeat The Dark Ruler, let alone guarantee Steelheart and my sister will live." Elsa asked. Solen spoke up. "But you have done your best to protect them. You may never want to see your friends die, but that has made you all the more determined to protect them. "

"But the prophecy was never meant for me," Elsa countered. "I can't fully take in that I am that person."

Her father touched her head. "Your head says that," he tapped her chest. "And that has shut out your heart. Deep inside you, there is a part of you who wants to take it. You need to stop saying it and actually start doing it." He sighed. "I had hoped to tell you all of this after I had come back, from my voyage to Thorin, but unfortunately I died. Know this: You've never been tasked with such a burden, yet you say you cannot do it. But how can you say that when you have never attempted to lead or try? That is where you have lost your trust in yourself; you were unwilling to take the first step."

Solen stepped forward and cleared his throat. "We do not have much more time to talk, but I want to give you something to help you defeat the Dark Ruler. Your father forged this for whoever would be an ice Summoner." He unsheathed a sword from his back, its crystal blue blade glistening. The hilt was navy blue and bore the ten-sided star of Thorin. He gave it to Elsa. "Glacio Falchonè, the ice falchion. It will appear whenever you need it. Think of this as our gift and compensation for all of this."

Elsa took the sword and ran her finger along the sharp blade. "I don't know what to say. Thank you, Solen." The two men started to fade. Elsa's body started drifting back below to her shell. On the way down, she still heard her father's voice in her head. "No matter what happens, you are my daughter Elsa, and we are proud of how far you and your sister have come to end this feud."

Time seemed to slow around her as her smoky essence drifted back into her body. Her eyes sharpened. A rush of fresh air filled her lungs. Pure energy surged through her, as she stood back up filled with strength. Elsa looked at the hand that held the falchion. Pointing it to the sky, she unleashed a full blizzard that blew away the smoke surrounding her. Hans stumbled back, his eyes full of surprise.

Elsa barely recognized her own voice when she shouted in challenge to the Dark Ruler. "You want answers, Hans? I am Elsa, Queen of Thorin, Queen of Arendelle. I am the master of winter, the only Snow Queen, child of the Summoner royal family." Just for effect, she channeled the snow to swirl around her. Her dress glowed light blue. "I protect the citizens of two kingdoms. The cold responds to my will. I will destroy anyone who threatens my family and my people." Elsa's eyes gleamed palely white. She pointed her sword at Hans, the blade reflecting its diamond color. "End this. Now."

"Never!" Hans screamed. He summoned a war hammer in his hand and charged towards her. Elsa raised her falchion and rushed.

The two weapons clashed with a deadly ring. Locked in the stance, Elsa pulled back and struck again. Hans smashed away the blade and struck the ground. A portion of the platform crumbled and fell from the tower. Elsa leaped over the crack and spun her sword in a deadly arc, aiming for Hans' head. He disappeared. Remembering her training, Elsa turned around and shot a ball of ice that slammed into him just as he reappeared. Recovering, Hans threw his hammer at Elsa. She sidestepped and sliced the hammer in two. Elsa spun the falchion in her hand. The snow around her hardened and rose into a circle of spike that rotated around her. Hans unleashed another volley of dark tentacles, but they all dissolved on contact of Elsa's protective shield. Elsa blew another blizzard that peppered him with ice and cold. Demonic bat wings jutted out of Hans' back and blew it away. He charged again, his wings shooting obsidian feathers. Elsa slashed her sword upward and summoned 2 ice spikes from the ground. The spiked slashed forward and hacked off Hans' wings. Gesturing with her hand, the ice bent back and focused into a single point and aimed at Hans. He disappeared and attacked again from above, his scythe reflecting the blood moon. Elsa shot a blast of ice from the tip of her falchion, enlarging the blade. She swung it like a bat and smacked him away. Strangely, Elsa wasn't feeling tired from all that work. Her mind was clear except for one thought-she would not let Hans threaten her and her sister again.

Elsa jumped into the air. Her legs became encased in ice and elevated her until she towered over Hans. Ice also started forming around her body as she transformed into a crystal juggernaut that was 9 feet tall. A super-sized sword was in her hand. (If you aren't getting a clue on what's going on, try to imagine Carter Kane when he summons his avatar form)

Hans sneered. Darkness swirled around him as he too enlarged to face Elsa's ice form. The two colossal beings crashed into each other in hand-to-hand combat. Elsa's left hand morphed into a spike and impaled Han's left shoulder halfway through the fight. Shrinking them both into their normal height, Elsa slammed Hans into the ground. The snowy blizzard around her intensified as she raised him from the ground, the ice trapping his feet. Hans produced a small dagger from his robes and blocked the falchion. Elsa swung again and hacked the dagger's blade off. Swinging a third time, her blade was now blocked by a hasty wall of darkness that Hans put up. Just like Steelheart, darkness began to crawl up the falchion, turning the blade to starry black.

He grinned evilly. "You can never kill me, Elsa. My Mask of Eternal Night protects me from any physical harm. It is the source of my power." His face for a moment faded back to that sinister mask with the hollow eyes and red streaks. Elsa decided to take the initiative. She turned her free hand to ice and punched the mask off his face. The Mask of Eternal Night flew off and disappeared. She would never know where it went.

"NO!" Hans cried. The shield of darkness dissipated. Elsa slunk back her falchion and stabbed Hans in the gut. Hans gasped and looked at the crystal blade stuck in his stomach. A trickle of blood dripped down his mouth. Looking at Elsa, he growled his last words. "You may have defeated me, but the Darkseiders will still kill you. They are the embodiment of darkness and evil itself. They will never ally with you."

"Nations are not evil," Elsa simply replied. "Those who rule them are evil. And you are evil." She pushed in the blade until the hilt touched his gut. Frost grew from the wound and looped around him, freezing his body in an icy tomb. Hans tried to speak, but not a sound came out of his mouth as the warmth from his skin faded and was replaced by sheer cold. His whole body turned to ice. Within moments, Hans was a frozen statue, much resembling Anna when her heart was frozen. Elsa pulled out the blade with a loud crack. Fracture lines seeped across Hans' frozen face and soon, the statue crumbled into pieces. All that was left of the Dark Ruler was a pile of shattered ice shards. Elsa slung the falchion over her back and climbed back down to the throne room.

Anna shot a last desperate wave of fire at the dark soldier that was pinning her down. She kicked him any and stood back up. The soldiers had surrounded her and Horatio. Their hands elongated into sharp poles. Anna lifted the ring of fire to protect herself, but she knew that it wouldn't work. She braced herself. "So this is how it ends."

Suddenly, the soldiers all froze and started to dissolve from the head down. Horatio's cage also began to fade. Anna helped Horatio up and looked in confusion as Hans' creations began to crumble and ceased to exist. Horatio poked his spear at the piles of ashes. "What just happened?"

"Hans is dead." Elsa's voice came from behind them. They turned around. Elsa dropped down from the door, her falchion on her back. Anna blinked. "So, that's it? We've stopped the war for good?"

Elsa nodded. "Perhaps. But we still have much to do." She looked over the ledge and Anna followed her gaze. The battle below had stopped. The Summoners and the Darkseiders were all looking up at them. She looked at Horatio. "How do you feel about joining my kingdom?"

Horatio scratched his head. "What? Us, join Arendelle? I thought you were just going to go home."

Anna added on. "But you guys need a place to go and stay. Plus, you need some help in finding other Summoners that have been scattered across the land."

Horatio took that in, when grabbed Elsa. "Seems fine to me. But of course, you need a king." He kissed her. Anna turned away. She might as well let her older sister finally get the person she wanted after so much. Elsa pulled away, her face red. "It's a deal." She took Horatio's hand. "Now come, on, we need to go home.

A small shadow flitted out of the darkness of the castle and swooped near the Mask of Eternal Night. The shadow turned into a dark humanoid with unearthly white eyes. He stooped down and picked up the mask. Embracing it, he transformed into a small capsule.

After several centuries, the capsule reopened, and out came the shadow, clutching the mask. In the place where the castle once stood was an eerie palace. Cages and stairs littered the ceiling and floor. A tall man, his face covered by a hood, stood in front of him, waiting. The shadow scampered forward and knelt before the hooded man. The man jutted out a thin grey hand and touched the shadow. "Speak, little one, and tell me what brings you to my presence."

The shadow chittered softly and produced the mask. Taking it, the hooded man raised it to his concealed face and examined it. "The Mask of Eternal Night. It is still as beautiful as ever. What a coincidence to have it returned to me." The hooded man pressed the mask to his face under the hood, and a crackling sound filled the air. The mask's red streaks glowed under the hood as it became one with its master. The glow faded, and in its place shone two silver-gold eyes. "How did you find this lost artifact?"

The shadow chittered again and told him everything. The man listened intently, then turned around and talked to himself. "Ah yes, Hans failed to eliminate the Summoners. What a shame. If he had killed the Snow Queen, then their descendants would never have become the protectors of children." He looked at the shadow and dismissed it. Turning around, he used the mask's power to open a bridge in the sky, reflecting the silver moon. He unfurled his hood, revealing a dull grey face with the silver-gold eyes and glossy black hair. A scar from a clawed hoof was raked across his right cheek.

He whispered to the moon. "Old friend, it is time for battle once again. I have sensed a disturbance in the balance of things. MY servant has been killed, and now Your pawn, the Ice Summoner, has defeated me. Or so it seems." He stretched out his palm and a scythe sprouted from his hand. "My successors may have been defeated, and the darkness may be subdued, but I shall finish what I have started, and the light shall fade at last. Now that my mask has been returned, I will awaken my spawn, and end this war once and for all." He shot a bolt of dark lightning out of the scythe and closed the bridge. "Fate has decreed itself. Every child shall fear my name, and the world shall be endorsed in darkness; I am Pitch Black, the Nightmare King. I openly send this challenge to the Guardians, descendants of the Summoners: It has already begun, and now, I have returned."

The End?


End file.
